PRISON  LII 

IN    THE 

Of  D  O  A  PITCH 

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J  *  J  »  Vv.  1 


4ji^iiiiii:>CJn 

REESE  LIBRARY 


OF   THK 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

i 
i 
I 

Class 


PRISON  LIFE  IN  THE 
OLD    CAPITOL 

AND 
REMINISCENCES    OF    THE    CIVIL  WAR 


BY 


JAMES  J.  WILLIAMSON 

Author  of  "  Mosby's  Rangers" 


Illustrations   by 
B.  F.  WILLIAMSON 


WEST  ORANGE,  N.  J. 
1911 


COPYKIGIIT,     1911 
BY 

JAMES    J.    WILLIAMSON 


PREFACE 

It  is  not  my  intention  in  my  prison  diary  to  discuss 
the  constitutional  or  legal  question  of  arbitrary  arrests 
and  imprisonment  of  non-combatants,  but  to  present 
to  my  readers  a  picture  of  the  daily  routine  of  prison 
life  as  I  saw  it,  together  with  incidents  related  to  me 
by  fellow-prisoners. 

Conditions  in  the  Old  Capitol  differed  in  many  re 
spects  from  the  prison  camps.  Prisoners  in  the  Old 
Capitol  were  mostly  civilians,  except  where  soldiers 
(either  prisoners  of  war  or  men  charged  with 
offenses),  were  brought  in  and  kept  until  they  could 
be  sent  to  places  designated;  or  prisoners  from  other 
prisons  held  over  until  they  could  be  shipped  South 
for  exchange. 

In  the  itinerary  of  our  journey  from  Parole  Camp 
to  Upperville  I  have  given  little  details  which  to  some 
may  seem  trivial  and  unworthy  of  note,  but  I  give 
them  to  show  existing  conditions  in  sections  of  the 
Confederacy  through  which  we  passed. 

I  do  not  feel  that  I  am  straying  from  the  subject 
of  this  narrative  of  prison  experience  in  appending 
some  facts  concerning  the  treatment  of  prisoners  of 
war.  It  is  only  by  laying  before  the  people  a  frank 
and  faithful  statement  that  we  can  overcome  prejudice 
and  hostile  feeling,  and  bring  about  that  hearty  reunion 
which  is  earnestly  desired  by  all  who  have  the  peace 
and  prosperity  of  the  country  at  heart. 

I  have  before  me  a  report  of  a  sermon  from  the 
New  York  Press,  May,  1909,  in  which  a  minister  of 
the  Gospel  ( ?)  residing  within  the  limits  of  Greater 
New  York  speaks  of  "the  infamous  Captain  W\rz" — "a 

iii 

236315 


IV  PREFACE 

murderer."  It  is  charitable  to  attribute  such  language 
from  the  lips  of  a  minister  to  ignorance  rather  than 
malice.  Yet,  while  persons  are  found  who  entertain 
and  publicly  express  such  sentiments,  I  cannot  be  open 
to  the  charge  of  desiring  to  awaken  and  perpetuate 
bitter  memories  if  I  seek  to  place  on  record  the  true 
history  of  Major  Wirz,  to  refute  the  falsehoods  and 
misrepresentations  which  have  crept  into  history  and 
are  still  believed  by  some. 

When  the  grave  questions  which  for  years  agitated 
our  country  had  reached  the  crisis,  and  there  remained 
but  the  ultima  ratio  regum,  they  were  submitted  to  the 
arbitrament  of  the  battlefield.  We  of  the  South  ac 
cepted  the  result  of  that  contest  and  laid  down  our 
arms  in  good  faith.  But  when  we  are  asked,  like  a 
whipped  child,  to  say  we  were  wrong  and  are  sorry  for 
what  we  did,  and  promise  to  sin  no  more,  it  is  asking 
too  much.  We  fought  for  what  we  considered  our 
rights,  and  lost.  Yet  our  men,  who  fought  and  lost, 
and  those  who  died  in  the  struggle,  were  just  as  brave 
and  as  honest  as  the  men  who  wore  the  blue.  They 
fought  for  the  Union,  we  fought  for  our  homes,  for 
our  wives  and  our  dear  ones.  For  those  of  our  dead 
who  were  consigned  to  death  and  ignominy  we  do  not 
a,sk  pity,  but  only  for  that  justice  which  was  denied 
them  in  life — that  the  blot  upon  their  reputations  be 
effaced  and  their  names  stand  out  clear  and  stainless. 

The  little  episode  in  relation  to  the  Fairfax  Court 
House  raid  will  need  no  apology  for  its  introduction, 
as  I  have  already  had  occasion  to  refer  to  that  affair 
in  my  diary. 

The  illustrations  here  given  are  from  drawings 
made  by  my  son,  B.  F.  Williamson. 

JAMES  J.  WILLIAMSON. 
West  Orange  N.  J.,  April  1911. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Old    Capitol    Prison [frontispiece] 

Exemption     Certificate 16 

Pass  Through  Confederate  Lines 17 

Carroll   Prison   (Duff  Green's   Row) 21 

Arch  Window  in  Room  No.  16 24 

Colonel   William   P.   Wood,   Superintendent     ....     33 

James  J.  Williamson 39 

Stove  in  Room  No.   16 55 

Map  of  James  River,  from  Fortress  Monroe  to  Rich 
mond      93 

John    H.    Barnes 96 

Lieutenant  Albert  Wrenn 99 

Colonel  John  S.  Mosby 106 

Lieutenant    Frank    Fox 109 

Brigadier-General  Edwin  H.  Stoughton 116 

Certificate  of  Membership 118 

Major    Henry    Wirz 131 

Rev.    F.    E.    Boyle 140 

Rev.  Bernardin  F.  Wiget,  S.  J 143" 

Gunnell  House  (General  Stoughton's  Headquarters)     .     .155 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTORY n 

Maryland  My  Native  State — Baltimore  My 
Home — Outbreak  of  Civil  War — Leave  Sick-bed 
and  Start  for  Seat  of  War — Wrecked  on  Rail 
road — Gala  Days  in  Richmond — Running  the 
Blockade. 

PRISON  LIFE  IN  THE  OLD  CAPITOL 19 

My  Arrest  and  Imprisonment — Description 
and  History  of  the  Old  Capitol — Iron-clad  Oath. 

Diary  Kept  During  My  Imprisonment:  Daily 
Routine — Men  I  Met  There — Stories  I  Heard 
There  and  General  Features  of  Prison  Life — 
Rations,  Recreations  and  Rules — How  We  Passed 
Our  Time — Fresh  Fish — Paroles — Superintend 
ent  Wood — Sundays  in  Prison — Belle  Boyd — 
Gus  Williams — Shooting  of  Prisoners — An  Old 
Schoolmate  —  Blockade  Runners  —  Outrages  on 
Citizens  —  Spies  and  Detectives  —  Old  Men, 
WTomen  and  Children  Imprisoned  —  Western 
Prisoners — Escape  of  Prisoners — Overcrowded, 
Vermin  and  Smallpox. 

'OFF   FOR   DlXIE 89 

From  Old  Capitol  to  Parole  Camp  to  Await 
Exchange — Down  the  Potomac  on  Flag-of-Truce 
Boat  to  Fortress  Monroe — Wrecks  of  United 
States  Warships  Sunk  in  Fight  With  Confeder 
ate  Iron-clad  Virginia  (Merrimac)  —  Steaming 
Up  James  River — Jamestown — Westov-er,  Resi 
dence  of  Colonel  William  Byrd — City  Point  as  it 
then  Looked — From  City  Point  to  Petersburg 
and  Model  Farm  Barracks,  Parole  Camp. 

vii 


Vlll  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

LIFE  AT  PAROLE  CAMP 98 

Short  Rations  and  Little  Comfort — Petersburg 
in  Spring  of  1863 — Change  of  Diet;  Beans  and 
Brandy — Western  Prisoners  at  Parole  Camp 
Complain  of  Hardships  at  Camp  Chase,  Camp 
Douglas  and  Johnson's  Island;  Cruelty  of  Guards 
and  Great  Mortality  Among  Confederate  Prison 
ers — Exchanged  and  Mustered  Into  Confederate 
Service — Bathe  in  Elk  Licking  Creek,  Where  We 
Left  Off  Our  Bad  Habits  and  Writh  Them  a  Host 
of  Little  Attachments  We  Could  Not  Shake  Off 
in  Prison — Leave  Parole  Camp. 

ITINERARY  OF  JOURNEY  FROM  PAROLE  CAMP  TO 
UPPERVILLE 108 

Richmond  in  the  Spring  of  1863 — Gordons- 
ville — Madison  Court  House — Along  Robertson 
River — Crossing  the  Blue  Ridge  at  Milani's 
Gap — Wild  Road  Over  the  Mountains — Tramping 
Down  the  Valley — Along  the  Shenandoah — Luray 
and  Front  Royal — On  Old  Manassas  Gap  Rail 
road — Halt  by  the  Wayside — Crossing  Goose 
Creek  Under  Difficulties — Reached  Upperville, 
Where  I  First  Saw  Mosby  and  Joined  His  Com 
mand — Meet  Old  Friends  and  Fellow  Prisoners. 

List  of  Prisoners  in  Room  16,  Old  Capitol 
Prison,  During  My  Term  of  Imprisonment. 

TREATMENT  OF  PRISONERS  OF  WAR 122 

At  Camp  Chase,  Camp  Douglas  and  Johnson's 
Island — Efforts  of  Confederate  Authorities  to 
Bring  About  Exchange — False  Impression  at  the 
North— United  States  Authorities  Did  Not  Want 
Exchange — Letter  of  Robert  Ould  to  Major- 
General  Hitchcock — Letter  of  Ould  to  National 
Intelligencer — Report  of  General  Seymour  to 
Colonel  Hoffman,  Commissary-General  of  Pris 
oners — General  Ben  Butler  Tells  How  His  Ef- 


CONTENTS  IX 

PAGE 

forts  Were  Frustrated — General  Jubal  A.  Early 
Comments  on  General  Order  No.  209,  Issued  by 
War  Department,  Washington — Extracts  from 
Report  of  Committee  of  Confederate  Congress 
on  Treatment  of  Prisoners  of  W7ar — Publications 
Issued  by  United  States  Authorities  and  Others 
to  Stir  Up  and  Keep  Alive  War  Spirit  Among 
Northern  People — A  Vindication  of  the  South — 
About  Dead-lines. 


MAJOR  HENRY  WIRZ,  C.  S.  A 131 

True  History  of  the  Wirz  Case:  Sacrificed  to 
Gratify  Malignity  of  Men  in  Authority  and  Pan 
der  to  the  Passion  of  the  Mob — Wirz  Not  Re 
sponsible  for  Sufferings  at  Andersonville — Brief 
Sketch  of  the  Man— His  Efforts  to  Better  Con 
dition  of  Federal  Prisoners — His  Trial — Wit 
nesses  Not  Allowed  to  Testify  in  His  Behalf — 
Letter  of  General  John  D.  Imboden — Letter  of 
Robert  Ould — Rev.  Father  Whelan — Hired  Wit 
nesses  Swear  Away  the  Life  of  Wirz — Con 
demned  on  False  Charges — Thirteen  Specifica 
tions  of  Men  Said  to  Have  Been  Murdered  by 
\Virz,  But  Not  One  Named — Charged  with  Con 
spiracy  and  Hanged,  But  no  Other  Conspirator 
Punished — Offered  His  Freedom  if  He  Would 
Incriminate  Hon.  Jefferson  Davis — Testimony  of 
Major  Winder — Letter  of  Rev.  Father  Boyle — 
Wirz's  Bearing  at  the  Trial  and  on  the  Scaf 
fold — His  Execution — Scenes  at  the  Hanging- 
Rev.  Father  Boyle  and  Father  Wiget — Letter 
from  Wirz's  Wife  Received  After  Termination 
of  His  So-Called  Trial— His  Last  Letter  to  His 
Wife  and  Children. 


DIARY  KEPT  BY  WIRZ  DURING  His  IMPRISON 
MENT  AND  TRIAL 147 


X  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

MONUMENT  TO  WIRZ  AT  ANDERSONVILLE     .     .     .152 

FAIRFAX   COURT  HOUSE  RAID  AND  CAPTURE  OF 

GENERAL   STOUGHTON 154 

Interesting  Incident  Related  by  General  Stough- 
ton's  Telegraph  Operator — What  the  Chaplain  of 
Fifth  New  York  Cavalry  Said  of  this  Raid — 
Sergeant  James  F.  Ames  (Big  Yankee). 


INTRODUCTORY 

Prison  life  was  much  the  same  North  or  South  in  •' 
its  general  features,  having  its  discomforts  and  priva 
tions,  its  days  of  worry,  its  longings  and  its  disappoint 
ments,  combined  with  that  chafing  under  restraint, 
which  is  a  feeling  common  to  all  men.  Yet  the  suffer 
ings  of  prisoners  could  have  been  alleviated  in  the 
North  to  a  greater  degree  than  was  possible  at  the 
South,  where  in  most  cases  the  distress  was  due  to 
lack  of  means  to  relieve  it.  The  Confederate  Govern 
ment  could  not  do  for  Federal  prisoners  what  it  was 
unable  to  do  for  its  own  soldiers  or  people. 

It  is  not  strange  that  when  the  flood  of  war  swept 
over  the  country  I  should  plunge  into  its  turbulent 
waters  and  be  carried  along  with  the  current.  This 
martial  spirit  was  inherited  and  fostered  from  the 
cradle  up.  My  grandmother  came  to  this  country 
from  Ireland  in  the  stormy  days  of  the  rebellion  of 
1798.  When  but  a  little  child  I  would  sit  by  her  side 
for  hours,  drinking  in,  like  a  heated,  thirsty  traveler, 
the  wild  stories  of  the  exciting  scenes  she  had  wit 
nessed  there,  and  listening  to  the  pathetic  recital  of 
the  wrongs  of  her  loved  country  and  its  people.  And 
at  night  I  would  drop  off  to  sleep  on  her  lap  with  the 
old  Irish  rebel  songs  of  '98  murmuring  a  lullaby  in 
my  baby  ears. 

It  was  only  natural,  too,  that  I  should  be  enlisted 
on  the  Southern  side.  I  was  born  in  Baltimore,  and 
it  was  there  I  passed  the  early  years  of  my  life.  My 
father,  James  J.  Williamson,  had  the  distinction  of 

ii 


12  PRISON   LIFE   IN   THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

designing  and  building  the  first  clipper  ship  ever  con 
structed — the  clipper  ship  Ann  Me  Kim,  built  in  Balti 
more  in  1832,  for  the  old  house  of  Isaac  McKim,  of 
Baltimore.  The  history  of  Maryland,  with  the  record 
of  the  heroic  deeds  of  the  Old  Maryland  Line  in  the 
War  of  the  Revolution,  had  always  possessed  a  charm 
for  me  above  all  other  books.  It  was  my  greatest 
pride  to  know  that  I  was  a  Marylander  and  that 
Baltimore  was  my  home. 

When  I  became  of  age  I  went  to  Washington  and 
obtained  a  position  in  the  Government  Printing  Office, 
where  I  remained  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war. 

In  the  spring  of  1861,  the  Federal  troops  were  or 
dered  to  march  on  Washington.  When  the  Sixth 
Massachusetts  Regiment  was  attacked  while  passing 
through  Baltimore,  I  was  ill,  in  bed  and  under  the 
doctor's  care.  The  next  day  my  mother  brought  into 
my  room  the  morning  paper  and  read  to  me  an  ac 
count  of  the  fighting  in  Baltimore,  and  of  the  threats 
made  to  invade  my  native  State  and  bombard  and 
destroy  Baltimore.  I  felt  all  the  youthful  fire  within 
me  blazing  with  fury.  The  warm  blood  coursing  in 
my  veins  carried  with  it  a  force  which  seemed  to  give 
an  almost  unnatural  strength  to  my  feeble  body, 
weakened  by  a  painful  illness.  I  was  seized  with  a 
desire  to  rush  at  once  to  the  scene  of  action.  I  felt 
that  the  bed  was  no  place  for  me — that  I  must  rouse 
myself  to  meet  the  issue — that  my  dear  old  mother 
State  was  calling  for  her  sons,  and  I  would  not  let 
that  call  go  unheeded,  but  must  hasten  on  to  help 
guard  that  sacred  soil  upon  which  I  had  received  my 
being  and  in  which  reposed  the  ashes  of  those  who 
were  most  near  and  dear  to  me.  I  felt  all  that  enthu- 


INTRODUCTORY  13 

siasm  with  which  the  Southern  hearts  were  rilled  when 
their  States  were  invaded  and  their  cities  and  their 
homes  laid  waste.  Old  Maryland  was  invaded — I  did 
not  care  by  whom — for  whoever  came  with  hostile 
intent  was  an  enemy,  and  her  enemies  were  mine. 

I  said : 

"  I  am  going  to  Baltimore." 

"  When  ?  "  asked  my  mother. 

"  I  will  start  to-morrow  morning."  My  mother  left 
the  room  without  reply  to  what  she  thought  were 
idle  words. 

When  the  doctor  came  for  his  morning  visit,  my 
mother  said : 

"  What  do  you  think  this  boy  says  ?  He  says  he  is 
going  to  Baltimore." 

"  Let  him  go,"  said  the  doctor,  with  an  incredulous 
smile. 

The  next  morning  when  he  came,  expecting  to  find 
me  in  bed,  my  mother  said :  "  Well,  Doctor,  he  has 
gone  to  Baltimore." 

The  doctor  shook  his  head,  and  replied,  "  It  will 
either  kill  or  cure  him."  And  it  cured  him.  The  day 
I  left  my  bed  I  went  to  Baltimore,  and  a  week  after 
that  I  was  in  Richmond. 

When  I  reached  Baltimore  trains  were  running  to 
and  from  the  city  without  interruption,  but  troops 
were  being  rushed  to  Washington,  and  it  was  seen 
that  Baltimore  would  soon  be  surrounded  and  hemmed 
in  by  Federal  troops,  and  it  would  then  be  difficult 
to  leave  the  city,  so  I  left  for  Harper's  Ferry,  where 
I  understood  a  body  of  Confederate  troops  were 
already  in  camp.  From  Harper's  Ferry  I  went,  via 
Strasburg,  to  Manassas.  There  I  found  a  few  regi- 


14  PRISON   LIFE   IN   THE  OLD   CAPITOL 

ments  of  Confederates  assembled.  From  Manassas  I 
started  on  train  for  Richmond. 

Between  Culpeper  and  Orange  Court  House  we  un 
fortunately  came  in  collision  with  a  train  carrying 
infantry  and  a  battery  of  artillery  to  Manassas.  Both 
trains  were  on  the  same  track  and  coming  from  oppo 
site  directions.  There  was  a  head-on  collision;  the 
two  engines  crashed  into  each  other  and  the  cars 
telescoped.  There  were  fourteen  killed  outright  and 
a  great  number  wounded,  many  fatally. 

I  was  sitting  in  the  rear  car,  talking  to  a  man  who 
stood  holding  on  to  the  rear  door  of  the  car.  When  I 
felt  the  shock  I  saw  him  shoot  past  me  and  down  the 
aisle,  between  the  seats.  That  night,  when  I  arrived 
at  Gordonsville,  I  went  to  a  house,  seeking  lodgings 
for  the  night,  and  to  my  surprise,  when  the  door  was 
opened  and  the  gentleman  of  the  house  stood  before 
me,  although  his  head  was  bandaged  and  his  arm 
in  a  sling,  I  recognized  in  him  the  man  I  was  convers 
ing  with  at  the  time  of  the  accident. 

In  Richmond  I  found  a  number  of  acquaintances 
from  Baltimore.  A  great  many  young  men  were  com 
ing  in  from  Maryland,  some  of  whom  had  been  com 
rades  in  military  companies  in  Baltimore,  and  soon  a 
couple  of  companies  were  organized  to  be  united  to  a 
regiment  then  forming  at  Harper's  Ferry,  which  after 
ward  gained  honorable  distinction  as  the  First  Mary 
land  Regiment. 

Richmond  had  already  put  on  a  military  air.  In 
vf  the  throngs  on  the  streets  a  major  part  of  the  male 
|  population  appeared  in  stylish  uniforms.  These  were 
!_jthe  gay  days  in  Richmond. 

Troops  were  arriving  from  the  South  and   West, 


INTRODUCTORY  15 

passing  through  on  their  way  to  the  seat  of  war.  I 
was  particularly  struck  with  the  appearance  of  the 
Louisiana  troops  in  their  holiday  dress,  marching 
proudly  along,  with  bands  playing  inspiring  martial 
airs ;  the  drum-major  leading  off  with  stately  tread, 
waving  his  staff.  Tripping  gaily  after  came  the 
sprightly  vivandieres,  their  dainty  little  caps  tipped  - 
saucily  to  one  side,  their  shapely  ankles  peeping  from 
beneath  the  folds  of  their  short  skirts,  and  the  little 
keg  at  their  side  hanging  by  a  fancy  cord  thrown  over 
the  shoulder. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  the  men  came  out  as  \ 
they  had  been  accustomed  to  "  play  soldiers  " — attired 
in  gaudy  uniforms,  with  gay  colors,  bright,  shining 
gun  barrels  and  flashing  bayonets.  The  Zouaves  with 
their  red  breeches,  their  red  caps  or  turbans,  their  gilt 
braids  and  chevrons. 

These  soon  gave  way  to  less  showy  trappings.  The 
jaunty  caps  were  exchanged  for  the  Kossuth  felt  hat,  ~ 
the  showy  jackets,  with  their  rich  gilt  braid  and  trim 
mings,  were  replaced  by  the  unpretentious  blouse,  and 
the  flaming  red  breeches  were  now  conspicuous  by 
their  absence,  and  in  their  stead  comfortable,  though 
less  attractive,  garments  were  worn. 

The  bright  gun  barrels  and  flashing  bayonets  even 
were  found  to  be  no  more  efficient  than  those  dulled 
by  age  and  use,  whose  somber  hue  did  not  present  such 
a  shining  mark  for  a  watchful  sharpshooter. 

In  the  house  where  I  had  taken  board  there  was  a 
gentleman  who  was  employed  in  the  printing  office 
doing  the  work  of  the  State  and  Confederate  Govern 
ments.  Learning  that  I  had  been  in  the  Government 
Printing  Office  in  Washington,  he  said  they  would  be 


l6  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 

glad  to  have  me  at  this  office.  I  told  him  I  expected 
to  join  my  friends  from  Baltimore ;  that  we  were  anx 
ious  to  be  together  in  the  Confederate  army.  He 
said,  "  You  can  be  of  service  on  this  work  just  now, 
and  we  are  badly  in  want  of  help."  I  accordingly  went 
to  Ritchie  &  Dunnavant's,  the  parties  having  charge 
of  this  work. 

Soon  after  this  my  wife  ran  the  blockade  and  joined 
me  in  Richmond. 

After  a  time,  owing  to  the  strict  blockade,  the  fight- 

gkietmonJ,   <%>».,  ^>atc4  fMJ,  fStfS. 

The  Dearer  <^*^  j/?£</£<-ti~~~S<r*~-S,.  being  employed  by  us  on 
Confederate  Government  work.  a*  certi6ed  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia  by  the  Superintendent 
of  Public  Printing,  has  been  exempted  from  military  duty,  by  »rder  of  the  Governor  of  this 
date.  See  tut  of  Exemptions  filed  in  the  Adjutant  General'.  Office. 


CERTIFICATE    OF    EXEMPTION 

These    were    furnished    to    save    annoyance    from    provost-guards    or 
Conscript  officers 

ing  around  Richmond,  and  the  scarcity  of  the  neces 
saries  of  life,  the  sufferings  of  the  people  were  be 
coming  more  serious  every  day.  I  felt  that  while  it 
was  a  matter  of  love  and  duty  on  my  part  to  endure 
these  hardships  without  murmuring,  and  to  contribute 
all  my  efforts  to  the  attainment  of  the  success  of  our 
cause,  still  I  had  no  right  to  impose  upon  others  an 
amount  of  distress  which  they  were  not  called  upon 
to  undergo,  and  which  could  in  no  wise  aid  in  the 


INTRODUCTORY  I/ 

accomplishment  of  that  object,  but  was  simply  adding 
to  the  number  of  non-combatants  who  were  consuming 
the  scanty  store  of  supplies  without  contributing  to 
their  increase. 

Taking  this  view  of  the  situation,  I  decided  to  run 
the  blockade,  and  after  getting  my  wife  and  children 
safely  outside  of  the  lines,  where  they  would  be  properly 
cared  for  and  have  those  comforts  which  I  could  not 
obtain  for  them  in  Richmond,  I  could  then  take  chances 
for  my  return  to  the  scene  of  duty. 

I   procured  a  pass   for  myself,  wife  and  children 


Confederate  States  of  America, 

WAR  DEPARTMENT. 


not  to  communicate  in  vrriting  or  veftaUy,  'for  publicatio*,~a»y  fact  axertai*ed,  wkicA, 
if  known  to  tit  enemy,  might  be  injurious  to  the  Confederate  States  of  America* 
(Subject  to  the  discretion  of  the.  military  authorities.) 

ftovosr  ML* 
PASS  THROUGH   CONFEDERATE  LINES 

through  the  Confederate  lines,  and,  traveling  in  the 
most  primitive  fashion,  striking  out  from  Hanover 
Junction,  crossed  the  Rappahannock  River,  and  reached 
Westmoreland  Court  House  one  summer  evening,  in 
an  ox-cart.  We  waited  at  the  Potomac  River  for  a 
favorable  opportunity  to  cross  without  too  great  risk 
of  capture  by  one  of  the  United  States  gunboats 
patroling  the  river,  and  then  crossed  in  an  open  boat 
to  Stone's  Landing,  on  the  Maryland  side.  Here  we 
were  very  comfortable,  with  a  nice  breakfast  of  fish 


1 8  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

and  oysters  fresh  from  the  water,  until  the  steamboat 
came  along  which  was  to  take  us  to  Washington. 
There  were  a  number  of  Union  officers  and  soldiers  on 
the  boat,  but  having  my  wife  and  little  children  with 
me  I  suppose  averted  whatever  suspicion  they  might 
otherwise  have  entertained,  and  we  reached  Wash 
ington  without  any  mishap. 


PRISON   LIFE   IN   THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

On  the  evening  of  Saturday,  January  31,  1863,  be 
tween  seven  and  eight  o'clock,  an  officer  in  full  uni 
form,  but  unarmed,  came  into  a  bookstore  on  Seventh 
Street,  Washington,  D.  C.,  where  I  was  then  engaged, 
arid  asked  for  the  proprietor,  Mr.  Russell.  I  pointed 
out  Russell.  The  officer  then  asked  him  if  he  knew  a 
Mr.  Williamson.  Russell  answered,  "  Yes." 

"  Is  he  a  printer  ?  "  asked  the  officer. 

"  Yes." 

"  Is  he  the  only  one  of  that  name  that  you  know?" 

"  Yes." 

"Where  is  he?" 

"  There  he  is,"  answered  Russell,  pointing  toward 
me. 

The  officer  walked  over  to  me  and  said: 

"  Sir,  you  will  have  to  come  along  with  me." 

"All  right,"  said  I. 

He  then  went  to  the  door  and  called  in  a  soldier 
he  had  left  standing  guard  outside,  and  said: 

"  Take  charge  of  that  man." 

I  asked  the  officer  if  I  would  be  permitted  to  call  at 
my  home  in  order  to  acquaint  my  family  with  the  cause 
of  my  absence.  He  said  I  would  not;  that  I  must  go 
to  the  Provost-Marshal's  office.  I  obtained  permission 
to  send  a  note  to  my  wife,  stating  that  I  was  under 
arrest.  Putting  on  my  hat  and  coat,  I  was  marched 
to  the  corner  of  Eighth  Street  and  Pennsylvania  Ave 
nue.  Here  we  halted,  and  the  officer  called  out  to 
another  soldier,  who  stood  there  holding  his  swordr 

19 


2O  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

which  he  took  from  the  man  and  buckled  on.  Placing 
me  between  the  two  guards,  we  all  marched  up  Penn 
sylvania  Avenue  to  the  Provost-Marshal's  office.  The 
Marshal  was  not  in,  but  his  assistant  said: 

"  Do  you  belong  in  Washington  ?  " 

"  I  do,"  said  I. 

"  Haven't  you  been  South  lately  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  I  said ;  "  I  came  from  Richmond  on  the 
third  of  last  August." 

"  Have  you  reported  yourself  to  the  military  au 
thorities?  " 

"  I  have  not." 

He  next  asked  me  if  I  would  take  the  oath  of  alle 
giance  to  the  Government.  I  told  him  I  would  not; 
that  I  could  not  think  of  doing  so.  He  said  I  would 
have  time  enough  to  think  about  it,  as  it  might  be 
necessary  to  do  so  before  I  could  obtain  my  release. 
That  I  was  charged  with  having  been  in  Richmond, 
and  also  with  being  accessory  to  the  imprisonment  of 
some  Union  citizens. 

I  again  asked  if  I  would  be  permitted  to  go  home 
under  escort  of  a  guard,  so  as  to  acquaint  my  family 
with  the  cause  of  my  absence  and  also  to  get  a  change 
of  clothing  and  some  few  articles  necessary  for  me 
during  the  time  I  might  be  kept  under  arrest.  This 
request  was  denied,  and  I  was  marched  off  under 
guard  to  the  Old  Capitol  Prison,  at  the  corner  of 
,  First  and  A  Streets. 

The  building  known  as  the  Old  Capitol  had  a  mem 
orable  history.  Built  in  1800,  it  was  originally  de 
signed  for  a  tavern  or  boarding-house,  but  owing  to 
bad  management  it  proved  a  failure  and  was  closed 
shortly  before  the  War  of  1812. 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 


21 


In  August,  1814,  when  the  British  troops  under  \J 
General  Ross  entered  Washington,  they  burned  the 
Capitol  and  other  public  buildings,  and  the  Govern 
ment  bought  this  old  tavern  or  boarding-house,  in 
which  Congress  should  hold  their  sessions  and  public 
business  be  transacted  until  the  Capitol  could  be 
rebuilt. 

The  interior  of  the  building  was  completely  reno 
vated  and  reconstructed,  and  here  both  Houses  sat  for 
a  number  of  years.  Within  its  walls  two  Presidents 
were  inaugurated,  and  here  some  of  our  most  dis- 


CARROLL    PRISON     (DUFF    GREENES    ROW) 

tinguished  statesmen  began  their  careers.  It  was  in 
this  building  the  Hon.  John  C.  Calhoun  died. 

When  it  was  abandoned  by  Congress  upon  the 
completion  of  the  Capitol,  it  was  called  the  "  Old 
Capitol,"  as  a  distinctive  title.  After  that  it  under 
went  a  number  of  changes  as  boarding-house,  school, 
etc.,  until,  in  1861,  it  was  taken  by  the  Washington 
authorities  to  be  used  as  a  prison. 

A  row  of  houses  on  the  adjoining  block,  known  as 
Duff  Green's  Row,  was  afterward  taken  and  used 


22  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 

as  an  annex  to  the  Old  Capitol,  and  for  the  same  pur 
pose.     It  was  called  the  "  Carroll  Prison." 

On  arriving  at  the  Old  Capitol,  we  were  halted  at 
the  entrance  by  the  sentry  patroling  the  pavement  in 
front  of  the  prison  door,  who  called  out  with  a  loud 
voice,  "Corporal  of  the  guard;  Post  No.  i."  This 
brought  out  the  corporal,  with  his  musket  at  his 
shoulder,  and  he  escorted  us  inside. 

Entering  the  prison  from  First  Street,  we  passed 
through  a  broad  hallway,  which  was  used  as  a  guard 
room,  and  thence  into  a  room  where  prisoners  were 
first  taken  to  be  questioned  and  searched.  I  found  the 
lieutenant  in  charge  more  courteous  than  any  of  those 
in  whose  custody  I  had  been.  After  receiving  my  com 
mitment  from  the  guard  who  brought  me  from  the 
Provost-Marshal's  office,  he  inquired  if  I  had  any 
arms  or  other  prohibited  goods  in  my  possession.  I 
replied  that  the  only  article  I  had  which  might  come 
within  the  forbidden  class  was  a  small  pocket-knife, 
which  I  took  from  my  pocket  and  handed  him.  He 
smiled  as  he  gave  it  back,  and  made  no  further  search. 
He  asked  me  if  I  had  been  to  supper,  and  receiving  a 
negative  reply,  led  me  to  a  dirty,  dismal  room,  which 
I  afterward  learned  was  the  mess-room.  Here, 
grouped  around  a  big  stove  was  a  gang  of  negroes, 
one  of  whom,  at  the  lieutenant's  command,  brought 
out  a  chunk  of  beef,  a  slice  of  bread  over  an  inch 
thick,  and  a  cup  of  coffee  (?),  sweetened,  but  with 
out  milk.  This  was  set  out  on  a  table,  of  what  material 
constructed  it  was  impossible  to  determine  on  account 
of  the  accumulation  of  dirt.  The  meat  was  served  in 
a  tin  plate  which  looked  as  though  it  might  have  been 
through  the  Peninsular  campaign. 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  23 

Though  I  failed,  no  doubt,  to  do  full  justice  to  the 
repast  set  before  me  by  the  good-natured  lieutenant, 
I  certainly  appreciated  his  good  intentions  and  his 
honest  efforts  to  entertain  me  with  the  best  at  nis 
command. 

The  lieutenant  sat  and  talked  with  me  for  some 
time  before  taking  me  to  my  room.  He  asked  me  if 
I  would  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Govern 
ment.  I  told  him  I  would  not.  He  asked  if  I  would 
be  willing  to  take  an  oath  to  support  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States.  "Yes,"  said  I,  ''but  not  an 
oath  to  support  the  Government  or  Administration." 
He  asked  if  I  were  living  in  a  Northern  city  and  came 
to  Washington  and  went  into  business,  would  I  in 
that  case  take  the  oath.  I  told  him  I  would  not.  I 
said,  "  If  I  were  in  the  South,  even,  and  that  iron-clad 
oath  "  (as  it  was  called)  "  was  offered  to  me,  I  would 
not  take  it."  * 

THE  OATH  * 

District  of  Columbia,          ) 
County  of  Washington     \ 

I,  ,  of  

do  solemnly  swear  on  the  Holy  Evangelist  of  Almighty 
God,  without  any  mental  reservation,  that  I  will  at  any 
and  all  times  hereafter,  and  under  all  circumstances, 
yield  a  hearty  and  willing  support  to  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States  and  to  the  Government  thereof; 
that  I  will  not,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  take  up  arms 
against  said  Government,  nor  aid  those  now  in  arms 
against  it;  that  I  will  not  pass  without  the  lines  now  es 
tablished  by  the  Army  of  the  United  States,  or  here 
after  from  time  to  time  to  be  established  by  said  Army, 
nor  hold  any  correspondence  whatever  with  any  per 
son  or  persons  beyond  said  lines  so  established  by  said 
Army  of  the  United  States  during  the  present  rebellion, 
without  permission  from  the  Secretary  of  War;  also,  that 
I  will  do  no  act  hostile  or  injurious  to  the  Union  of 
the  States;  that  I  will  give  no  aid,  comfort  or  assist- 


24  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

He  then  accompanied  me  upstairs  to  Room  No.  16, 
and  here,  after  the  door  was  unlocked,  I  was  ushered 
into  my  future  quarters.  1  was  welcomed  and  intro 
duced  by  one  of  my  fellow-prisoners  to  the  others  of 
the  party,  some  of  whom  had  been  brought  in  that 
same  day. 

Room  No.  1 6  was  a  spacious  room,  with  one  very 


WINDOW    IN    ROOM    l6 

large  arch  window  opposite  the  door  from  which  the 
room  was  entered.  This  window  was  directly  over  the 
main  entrance  to  the  building  on  First  Street,  and  in 
by-gone  days  it  lighted  up  the  former  Senate  Chamber. 
In  the  middle  of  the  room  a  huge  cylinder  stove 
formed  the  centerpiece,  while  around  and  against  the 


ance  to  the  enemies  of  the  Government,  either  domestic 
or  foreign;  that  I  will  defend  the  flag  of  the  United 
States  and  the  armies  fighting  under  it  from  insult  and 
injury,  if  in  my  power  so  to  do;  and  that  I  will  in  all 
things  deport  myself  as  a  good  and  loyal  citizen. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this    day 

of    . 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  25 

walls  were  twenty-one  bunks  or  berths,  arranged  in 
three  tiers,  one  above  the  other.  There  were  a  couple 
of  pine  tables,  each  about  five  feet  long,  with  a  miscel 
laneous  collection  of  chairs,  benches  and  home-made 
apologies  for  seats. 

When  the  building  was  used  as  the  Capitol,  this 
floor  contained  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representa 
tives,  but  after  its  abandonment  by  Congress  the  floor 
was  cut  up  into  five  rooms,  now  numbered  from  14 
to  18 — No.  16  being  the  largest.  The  doors  of  all 
opened  into  a  large  hall,  from  which  a  broad  stairway 
led  to  the  floor  below. 

After  spending  a  couple  of  hours  in  swapping  stories 
and  getting  better  acquainted,  the  whole  party  ad 
journed  to  their  up-and-downy  beds. 

Sunday,  February  I,  1863. — My  first  night  in  my 
new  quarters  was  a  very  uncomfortable  one.  An  old 
blanket  spread  over  the  hard  boards,  with  a  piece  of 
wood  morticed  in  at  the  head  for  a  pillow,  was  the 
bed  on  which  I  was  expected  to  sleep.  All  night  the 
steady  tramp  of  the  sentry  up  and  down  the  hall  out 
side  of  our  room  door,  with  the  clanking  of  arms,  the 
challenging  of  the  guards  and  the  calls  of  the  relief 
through  the  night,  kept  me  awake,  until  at  last  tired 
nature  gave  way  and  the  god  of  sleep  closed  my  weary 
eyes.  How  long  I  slept  I  know  not,  but  when  I  woke 
it  was  as  if  awaking  from  a  troubled  dream.  I  looked 
around  at  my  surroundings  and  then  lay  down  again 
on  my  bunk,  pondering  on  the  events  of  the  past  night. 
After  a  while  I  got  up  and  took  a  wash.  There  was 
but  little  time  required  for  dressing.  Soon  the  door 
was  thrown  open  and  there  was  a  call  to  breakfast. 
Being  totally  unacquainted  with  the  daily  routine,  I 


26  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLt>   CAPITOL 

mechanically  followed  the  crowd,  without  knowing 
where  it  would  lead  me.  It  led  me  to  the  mess-room. 
It  might  have  led  me  to  a  worse  place,  but  it  would 
have  been  difficult  to  find. 

It  was  a  long,  dirty,  gloomy-looking  room,  with 
nothing  in  its  appearance  to  tempt  the  appetite,  and 
the  food  looked  as  though  served  at  second-hand.  The 
odor  which  assailed  the  nostrils  seemed  as  if  coming 
from  an  ancient  garbage  heap.  The  waiter  stood  at 
the  head  of  the  long  board  table,  with  a  handful  of 
tin  cups  filled  with  a  liquid  by  courtesy  called  coffee. 
He  would,  with  a  dextrous  twist  of  the  wrist,  send  them 
spinning  along  down  the  table,  leaving  each  man  to 
catch  one  of  the  flying  cups  before  it  slid  past.  For 
tunately,  the  waiter  had  by  practice  acquired  sufficient 
skill  to  enable  him  to  shoot  a  cup  in  your  direction 
without  spilling  more  than  one-half  of  its  contents. 
With  this  was  served  a  chunk  of  beef  and  a  slice  of 
bread.  The  beef  was  left  untouched  by  those  who  had 
the  privilege  and  the  means  of  providing  their  own 
food,  but  the  bread  was  good,  and  a  generous  slice. 
I  saw  my  companions  slipping  their  quota  of  bread 
under  the  breasts  of  their  coats,  and  I  did  the  same. 

After  a  half-hour's  recreation  in  the  prison  yard,  we 
went  back  to  our  rooms  and  were  locked  in.  In  our 
room  a  table  was  spread  and  we  had  breakfast  of  ham, 
sausage,  bread,  butter  and  tea. 

Room  No.  16  faces  the  east  front  of  the  Capitol, 
and  by  standing  or  sitting  back  a  short  distance  from 
the  window  we  can  look  out  and  see  the  passers-by. 
No  persons,  however,  are  allowed  to  show  any  signs 
of  recognition.  If  a  person  is  seen  loitering  in  pass 
ing  the  prison,  or  walking  at  a  pace  not  considered 


PRISON   LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL  2J 

satisfactory  by  the  guard,  he  soon  receives  a  peremp 
tory  command  to  "  pass  on,"  or,  "  Hurry  up,  there," 
and  if  this  warning  is  not  heeded  the  offending  person, 
whether  male  or  female,  is  arrested  and  detained. 

This  morning,  two  gentlemen  walking  down  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street,  looked  across  and  smiled. 
One  of  my  room-mates  raised  his  hat  and  bowed. 
One  of  the  gentlemen  did  the  same.  Immediately  we 
heard  the  sentry  under  the  window  call  out :  "  Cor 
poral  of  the  guard,  Post  No.  I,"  and  an  officer  coming 
out,  the  person  was  pointed  out,  with  the  remark, 
'  That  man  bowed  over  here."  A  guard  was  instantly 
dispatched  after  him,  and  he  was  brought  over,  but 
was  released  in  a  short  time. 

Dinner  to-day  consisted  of  boiled  beans  and  rusty- 
looking  fat  pork,  with  molasses  (the  molasses  thin  as 
water),  served  up  in  a  dirty  tin  plate.  There  being 
neither  knife,  fork  nor  spoon  given  out  writh  it,  the 
only  way  the  mixture  could  be  eaten  was  by  dipping 
it  up  with  the  bread  and  thus  conveying  it  to  the 
mouth. 

When  we  went  back  to  our  room  we  prepared  dinner 
from  our  own  supply  of  provisions. 

This  afternoon  three  young  ladies  passing  the  prison 
looked  over  very  pleasantly  at  the  prisoners,  who  were 
in  sight  at  the  window,  much  to  the  displeasure  of  the 
guard,  who  stopped  his  walk  and  stood  watching 
them.  Finally,  one  of  them  smiled  and  nodded  her 
head.  At  this  moment  came  the  call — "  Corporal  of 
the  guard,  Post  No.  i."  The  young  ladies  had  by  this 
time  reached  the  corner  of  the  street.  Turning 
around  and  seeing  the  soldier  coming  after  them,  they 
waved  their  handkerchiefs  and  ran  down  the  street. 


28  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

The  sentry,  after  picking  his  way  through  the  mud 
across  the  street,  turned  back  and  gave  up  the  chase. 

For  supper  we  had  a  piece  of  bread,  without  butter, 
and  a  cup  of  coffee  (  ?),  without  milk. 

The  bill  of  fare  here  given  for  the  three  meals  of 
this  day  would  serve,  with  but  little  variation,  for  the 
entire  time  of  my  detention. 

One  of  the  prisoners,  a  Confederate  soldier,  whom 
I  met  in  the  yard  to-day,  told  me  that  he  was  just 
recovering  from  a  fever,  and  although  he  had  an 
excellent  appetite,  his  stomach  was  weak  and  he  could 
not  eat  the  food  set  before  him;  that  as  he  had  no 
money  to  purchase  anything  else,  he  was  compelled  to 
go  hungry. 

With  the  exception  of  the  bread,  which  is  good 
(thanks  to  Superintendent  Wood),  the  food  dealt  out 
here  is  poor  in  quality  and  insufficient  in  quantity. 
I  noticed  some  of  the  boxes  were  marked  "  White 
House,"  from  which  I  inferred  the  contents  were  con 
demned  army  stores. 

Those  who  can  afford  to  do  so  club  together  and, 
having  obtained  permission,  purchase  such  articles  as 
the  sutler  will  procure  for  them.  The  goods  kept  in 
stock  by  this  dignitary  are  neither  very  choice  nor 
varied,  chiefly  tobacco,  cigars,  cakes,  candy,  pies,  etc. 
For  our  mess  in  Room  16,  we  select  one  man  as  treas 
urer,  and  he  purchases  our  supplies,  such  as  coffee, 
tea,  sugar,  cheese,  and  he  occasionally  has  a  large  ham 
boiled.  All  of  these  articles  the  sutler  furnishes  at 
prices  far  beyond  their  market  value ;  but  we  are  glad 
to  get  them,  and  compelled  from  necessity  to  submit 
to  the  extortion. 

Prisoners  having  money  of  friends  outside  of  the 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  29 

prison  can  obtain  many  necessaries  and  enjoy  comforts 
which  are  denied  those  less  fortunate.  A  friend  (Mrs. 
Ennis),  living  near  the  prison,  sends  dinner  in  to  me 
every  day.  There  is  always  enough  to  feed  three  or 
four  abundantly,  and  none  of  it  is  ever  wasted. 

We  take  turns  in  the  household  work — cooking  and 
cleaning  up — two  men  being  detailed  for  this  duty 
each  day.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  our  cooking  ar 
rangements  are  very  simple. 

In  our  room  there  are  two,  one,  I  think,  a  Yankee 
deserter,  known  as  "  Dutchy  "  and  "  Slim  Jim,"  who 
are  unable  to  contribute  their  quota  to  the  commissary 
fund,  but  as  they  can  make  a  pot  of  coffee  or  tea,  and 
wield  a  broom  or  wash  a  dirty  dish,  they  are  always 
ready  to  make  up  their  deficit  by  taking  the  place  of 
room-mates  afflicted  with  hook-worm  or  victims  of 
inertia. 

Having  our  meals  in  our  own  room,  we  can  take 
the  whole  half-hour  allowed  at  meal  time  for  recrea 
tion  in  the  prison  yard,  which  gives  us  an  opportunity 
to  mingle  with  prisoners  from  other  rooms  than  our 
own.  This  meeting  of  old  friends  and  comrades,  and 
the  making  of  new  acquaintances,  is  a  source  of  great 
pleasure  to  us  and  a  relief  from  the  monotony  of  what 
would  otherwise  be  the  dull  routine  of  prison  life. 

Monday,  Feb.  2. — To-night  two  men  were  brought 
into  our  room.  They  say  they  were  employed  in  Gen 
eral  Halleck's  office,  and  are  confined  here  for  absent 
ing  themselves  without  leave.  They  are  looked  upon 
with  suspicion  by  our  party,  who  fear  they  may  be 
spies. 

Persons  are  often  put  in  the  rooms  with  prisoners, 
who,  while  posing  as  prisoners  themselves,  are  really 


3O  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE  OLD   CAPITOL 

.  y  spies  or  detectives  in  the  employ  of  the  officials.  They 
associate  with  the  prisoners  in  their  rooms,  and  also 
in  the  yard  during  the  time  allowed  for  recreation, 
and  by  assuming  an  air  of  injured  innocence  as  vic 
tims  of  oppression,  seek  to  gain  their  confidence  with 
the  intention  of  betraying  them.  If  they  can  succeed 
in  overcoming  their  suspicions  and  induce  the  prisoners 
to  speak  freely,  these  detectives  report  the  conversa 
tions  to  their  employers. 

Wednesday,  Feb.  4. — Superintendent  Wood  said 
last  night  that  he  would  allow  the  party  in  Room 
16  (as  they  were  not  satisfied  with  the  prison  fare), 
if  they  preferred  it,  to  receive  the  money  in  lieu  of 
rations,  and  supply  themselves.  This  was  agreed  to. 

Mr.  James  Fullerton  came  to  see  me  to-day.  An 
official  seated  himself  directly  in  front  of  us  during 
the  interview,  and  when  Mr.  Fullerton  proceeded  to 
ask  me  if  I  had  any  idea  as  to  the  person  who  had  me 
arrested,  the  official  interrupted  him,  saying  he  would 
be  allowed  to  speak  only  of  family  affairs.  Mr.  Fuller- 
ton  said  he  only  wished  to  find  out  something  of  the 
nature  of  the  charges  against  me,  in  order  to  furnish 
rebutting  testimony.  He  was  twice  interrupted  while 
attempting  to  ask  me  questions. 

I  had  written  a  note  to  my  wife,  asking  her  to  send 
me  a  change  of  clothing  and  some  articles  necessary 
here,  for  even  with  frequent  changes  it  is  difficult  to 
keep  free  from  vermin.  To-day  I  asked  Mr.  Drew, 
the  clerk,  if  it  had  been  sent.  He  said,  "  Why,  you 
have  sent  her  all  the  word  you  wanted  to  send."  I 
said,  "  I  have  sent  nothing  but  the  note  which  you  still 
retain."  "  Oh,  then,"  said  he,  "  I  will  send  that.  I 
thought  you  had  written  before."  Had  I  not  called 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  3! 

his   attention   to   this   note   it   would   not   have   been 
delivered. 

This  was  the  first  and  last  letter  I  sent  out  during 
my  term  of  imprisonment,  as  I  found  all  letters  had  to 
go  first  to  the  Provost-Marshal's  office  for  inspec 
tion,  and  then  it  was  doubtful  when  they  would  reach 
their  destination,  if  at  all.  A  young  man  named  Hurst 
wrote  a  letter  to  his  father,  who  was  residing  in 
Washington  City,  and  nine  days  passed  before  it  was 
delivered. 

A  young  man  named  Moore  died  to-night  in  one  of  9 
the  adjoining  rooms.  He  was  arrested  without  any 
specific  charge.  Though  he  was  very  ill  at  the  time, 
he  was  marched  eight  miles.  This  proved  too  great 
a  strain  for  him,  and  he  died  soon  after  his  arrival 
here.  His  poor  old  mother  was  with  him  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  Knowing  his  condition,  and  fearing  he 
would  not  survive  the  effects  of  the  long  journey,  she 
followed  after.  She  was  greatly  excited.  Throwing 
up  her  hands,  she  exclaimed :  "  I  have  lost  all.  I  am 
ruined.  My  poor  boy  was  all  that  was  left  to  me, 
and  now  you  have  robbed  me  of  him.  But  if  there  is 
a  just  God  He  will  not  suffer  my  wrongs  to  go 
unpunished." 

Towering  up  in  front  of  our  window  rises  the  stately 
dome  of  the  Capitol,  its  top  being  prepared  for  the 
statue  of  "  Freedom."  What  a  contrast!  What  a 
spectacle  from  a  prison  window ! 

Some  newspapers  received  to-night  contain  rumors 
from  Charleston  of  the  raising  of  the  blockade,  and 
also  accounts  of  some  dashing  exploits  of  Wheeler's 
Cavalry,  consequently  there  is  great  rejoicing  among 
the  Confederate  prisoners,  who  can  scarcely  contain 


32  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

themselves.  The  news  soon  spread,  and  cheers  were 
given  in  every  room  where  they  are  confined.  The 
officers  on  duty  were  very  lenient,  and  went  around 
endeavoring  to  quiet  the  prisoners,  saying  the  noise 
sounded  badly  in  the  street,  and  had  a  damaging 
effect.  Some  of  the  guards,  however,  were  in  a  very 
ugly  mood,  and  as  one  of  our  men  went  from  the 
room  to  get  water,  one  of  the  soldiers  on  guard  made 
a  wicked  thrust  at  him  with  his  bayonet. 

Thursday,  Feb.  5. — Snowing  hard  this  morning  and 
continuing  until  evening,  when  it  turned  to  rain. 

Received  parcel  to-day  from  home,  containing 
clothing,  etc. 

Every  day  from  eight  to  twelve  wagons  pass  the 
prison,  laden  with  dead  horses  and  mules,  from  the 
camps  around  Washington.  From  this  alone  one  can 
form  an  idea  of  the  number  of  animals  used  up  by 
the  army. 

Friday,  Feb.  6. — Colonel  Doster,  Provost-Marshal, 
paid  a  visit  to  the  prison  to-night.  He  came  into  our 
room.  On  being  asked  by  Mr.  Hunter  concerning  his 
case,  he  said :  "  Gentlemen,  your  cases  have  all  been 
decided  by  military  governors." 

Sunday,  Feb.  8. — A  great  many  ladies  and  gentle 
men  pass  and  repass  the  prison,  many  merely  from 
curiosity,  perhaps,  and  the  guards  are  very  vigilant  to 
see  that  they  exchange  no  signals  or  glances  with  pris 
oners.  This  afternoon  two  ladies  bowed  to  our  win 
dow,  and  a  corporal  was  sent  after  them.  He  fol 
lowed  them  about  half  a  block,  and  we  could  see  him 
talking  to  them  for  some  little  time,  but  he  came  back 
without  them. 

A  little  later,  two  old  gentlemen   stopped  on  the 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 


33 


street  opposite  the  prison.  One  of  them  took  from  his 
pocket  a  small  spy-glass,  which  he  applied  to  his  eye 
and  took  a  careful  survey  of  the  building,  to  the  great 
discomfort  of  the  sentry,  who  called  to  him  several 
times  to  pass  on.  The  old  gentleman  paid  no  atten 
tion  to  the  call,  and  the  sentry  asked  the  officer  if  he 


COLONEL   WILLIAM    P.    WOOD,   SUPERINTENDENT 

should  arrest  him.     The  old  man  then  coolly  put  up 
his  glass,  waved  his  hand  and  passed  on. 

To-day  being  Sunday,  the  superintendent,  Mr. 
Wood,*  went  through  the  prison,  making  the  an- 

*  Colonel  William  P.  Wood  was  born  in  Alexandria, 
Va.,  on  the  llth  of  March,  1820,  and  died  at  the  Soldiers' 
Home,  Washington,  D.  C,  March  20,  1903. 

He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  and  Civil  Wars,  and 
one  of  the  survivors  of  the  Walker  filibustering  expedi- 


34  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

nouncement  at  each  door,  that  all  who  wished  to  hear 
the  Gospel  according  to  Jeff  Davis  could  go  down  to 
the  yard,  where  a  Secesh  preacher  would  give  it  to 
them  (this  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Landstreet,  a  Confederate 
chaplain,  who  is  imprisoned  here),  and  all  who  wanted 
to  hear  the  Lord  God  according  to  Abe  Lincoln  could 
be  accommodated  in  Room  16. 

Mr.  Wood  professes  to  be  an  infidel,  and  therefore, 
while  his  partisan  feelings  are  very  strong  on  the  ques 
tion  of  duty  and  devotion  to  the  Union  cause,  he  is 
not  disposed  to  view  it  from  a  Gospel  standpoint.  I 
have  heard,  however,  that  he  was  born  and  baptized 
in  the  Catholic  Church,  but  left  it,  and  in  the  days  of 
Know-Nothingism  became  a  prominent  leader  in  that 
party.  I  went  down  to  the  yard,  not  so  much  to  hear 
the  reverend  preacher  (though  my  preference,  if  any, 
would  have  led  me  to  select  him)  as  to  enjoy  a  smoke 
and  a  social  chat  with  some  of  my  friends  from  the 
other  rooms. 

tion  to  Nicaragua.  When  the  Mexican  War  broke  out 
he  enlisted  in  the  mounted  rifles  under  Sam.  H.  Walker, 
the  noted  Texan  Ranger.  After  serving  out  his  term,  he 
returned  to  Washington  and  married  a  Maryland  lady. 

When  Stanton  became  Secretary  of  War  he  appointed 
Wood  to  be  Superintendent  of  the  Military  Prisons  of 
the  District  of  Columbia,  and  concentrated  the  "State" 
prisoners  and  all  others  in  the  Old  Capitol,  to  which  was 
afterward  added  the  Carroll  Prison  (Duff  Green's  Row). 

Wood  was  the  first  Chief  of  the  United  States  Secret 
Service  when  it  became  part  of  the  Treasury  Department. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  a  bill  was  before  Congress 
to  pay  him  $15,000  for  his  services  in  the  famous  Brockway 
case.  Wood  captured  the  author  and  secured  the  plate 
of  this  noted  7.30  Bond  counterfeit.  The  work  on  this 
bond  was  so  well  executed  that  it  passed  as  genuine 
until  Jay  Cooke  &  Co.  forwarded  $84,000  to  the  United 
States  Treasury  for  redemption. 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  35 

Monday,  Feb.  9. — The  Tenth  New  Jersey  Regiment 
is  the  prison  guard  here.  Among  them  are  many  who 
combine  the  qualities  of  soldier  and  gentleman,  but 
there  are  some  who  lack  both.  The  latter,  I  am  glad 
to  say,  are  in  the  minority. 

Last  night  before  going  to  our  bunks,  we  were 
shaking  the  coal  stove.  The  grate  was  choked  and  it 
was  hard  to  rake  out.  A  guard  was  sent  up  to  the  room, 
and  one  said  gruffly : 

"What  is  all  this  noise  about?" 

"  We  are  raking  the  stove,"  said  one  of  our  party. 

"  No,  you  are  not,"  replied  the  fellow ;  "  I  know 
•what  you  are  doing — you  are  dancing,  and  if  I  hear 
any  more  of  it,  some  of  you  will  get  in  the  guard 
house."  Being  prisoners,  we  have  to  submit  to  this 
insolence. 

This  morning,  as  I  was  standing  at  the  window 
looking  out,  I  heard  the  sentinel  on  the  sidewalk  under 
the  window  order  a  prisoner  in  the  next  room  to  go 
from  the  window,  or  he  would  get  a  ball  through  him. 
I  was  standing  about  a  foot  back  from  the  bars  when 
the  sentry,  an  ill-looking  fellow,  called  out  to  me: 

"  Get  away  from  that  window." 

"  I  am  not  touching  the  bars,"  said  I.  I  had  been 
told  by  prisoners  long  confined  in  the  Old  Capitol  that 
a  prisoner  was  permitted  to  look  out  of  the  window  so 
long  as  he  did  not  touch  the  bars. 

"  I  will  put  a  ball  through  you,  damn  you,"  said  the 
brute,  at  the  same  time  cocking  his  gun  and  aiming  at 
me.  As  I  thought  the  cowardly  rascal  might  shoot, 
and  I  would  only  be  exposing  myself  foolishly,  I  drew 
back. 

When  I  related  this  affair  to  a  fellow-prisoner,  Mr. 


36  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

Augustus  Williams,  he  told  me  that  he  was  a  prisoner 
in  the  Old  Capitol  at  the  time  young  Wharton  was 
shot,  and  his  room  was  on  the  same  floor. 
0  It  was  either  in  the  latter  part  of  March  or  first  of 
April,  1862,  that  Jesse  W.  Wharton,  a  young  man 
about  twenty-five  or  twenty-six  years  of  age,  son  of 
Professor  Wharton,  of  Prince  George  County,  Md., 
was  deliberately  murdered  by  a  man  belonging  to  the 
9  ist  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  then  on  guard  duty  at 
the  prison.  Wharton  was  standing  at  the  window  of 
his  room  when  the  sentry  called  out  to  him :  "  Get  away 
from  that  window,  or  I  will  blow  your  damned  head 
off."  Wharton  turned  away,  walked  across  the  room 
and  again  stood  at  the  window  as  before.  The  guard, 
on  seeing  him,  repeated  his  command,  or  words  to  the 
same  effect.  Wharton,  feeling  that  as  he  was  violating 
no  rule  the  guard  would  not  attempt  to  carry  out  his 
threat,  paid  no  further  attention,  but  stood  with  his 
arms  folded.  The  sentry  (I  cannot  call  him  soldier) 
fired,  and  the  ball  struck  Wharton  in  the  left  hand, 
passed  through  the  right  arm,  breaking  the  bone  of 
the  elbow,  entered  the  right  side,  coming  out  near  the 
spine.  He  staggered,  and  would  have  fallen,  but  some 
of  his  fellow-prisoners  caught  him  and  lowered  him 
gently  to  the  floor.  He  lingered  for  seven  or  eight 
hours.  Before  he  died  he  called  for  the  lieutenant 
commanding  the  post,  and  when  he  came  in,  the  dying 
man  said:  "I  am  dying,  and  you  are  the  man  who 
caused  my  death."  He  said  he  heard  the  lieutenant 
give  the  man  the  order  to  fire. 

«  Williams  also  mentioned  another  case,  that  of  Harry 
Stewart,  son  of  Dr.  Frederick  Stewart,  of  Baltimore, 
a  young  man  less  than  twenty-five  years  of  age.  He 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  37 

had  been  to  Richmond,  and  on  his  return  was  arrested 
as  a  spy  and  sent  to  the  Old  Capitol.  One  of  the 
sentinels,  a  member  of  the  86th  Regiment  New  York 
Volunteers,  agreed  for  a  bribe  of  fifty  dollars  to  allow 
him  to  escape  by  lowering  himself  from  the  window 
to  the  pavement  below.  Stewart  waited  until  the  hour 
appointed,  when  this  particular  sentry  should  be  on 
guard.  He  then  let  himself  out  of  the  window  and  was 
lowered  but  a  few  feet  when  the  sentry  cried,  "  Halt !  " 
and  fired,  the  ball  striking  Stewart's  right  leg,  splin 
tering  the  knee-bone.  He  was  quickly  drawn  up  by 
his  room-mates,  and  the  prison  surgeon  amputated 
the  limb.  The  shock  was  too  great,  however,  and  he 
died  in  a  short  time  after  the  operation.  The  money 
(fifty  dollars)  was  found  in  his  pocket,  wrapped  up  in 
paper,  upon  which  was  written,  "  This  is  the  money  I 
promised  you." 

Augustus  Williams,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  these 
facts,  is  a  citizen  of  Fairfax  County,  Virginia.  Living 
near  Vienna,  and  being  within  the  Union  lines,  he  was 
arrested  and  taken  to  the  Old  Capitol.  There  being 
no  charge  against  him,  except  refusal  to  take  the  oath, 
he  was  released  after  a  short  term  of  imprisonment. 
Going  back  to  his  home,  he  was  again  picked  up  by 
the  first  party  of  troops  raiding  in  his  neighborhood, 
and  returned  to  the  Old  Capitol.  This  occurred  so 
frequently  that  Superintendent  Wood  came  to  look 
upon  him  as  a  regular  visitor,  and  would  greet  him 
on  his  arrival  with  a  handshake,  and  say: 

"  Hello,  Gus ;  you're  back  again.  You  couldn't  stay 
away  from  us  very  long." 

"  No,"  he  would  reply.  "  You  fellows  treat  me  so 
well  when  I  am  here.  And  then,  it's  such  a  nice  trip  to 


38  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

go  back  home  by  way  of  Fortress  Monroe  and 
Richmond." 

Some  of  the  prisoners  who  have  gone  out  recently 
are  suspected  of  having  purchased  their  freedom  at  a 
cash  valuation. 

A  man  named  George  Hammett  was  brought  in  on 
Saturday  night  with  a  number  of  prisoners.  He  was 
captured  on  the  Potomac  River,  and  is  charged  with 
attempting  to  run  the  blockade.  He  was  called  down 
from  the  room  this  morning,  and  on  his  return  said 
that  he  told  Superintendent  Wood  he  was  willing  to 
take  the  oath.  Wood  told  him  that  hereafter  no  one 
would  be  released  on  simply  taking  the  oath ;  that  he 
might  be  released  on  payment  of  a  sum  of  money — 
from  one  to  six  hundred  dollars.  These  blockade 
runners,  I  suppose,  are  thought  to  have  money,  and 
this,  no  doubt,  is  but  a  plan  to  extort  money  from 
them. 

Emanuel  Weiler  was  released  to-day.  He  was  taken 
with  Aaron  J.  King  on  charge  of  carrying  contraband 
goods. 

Tuesday,  Feb.  10. — This  morning  two  ladies  passing 
the  building  bowed  to  prisoners  at  our  window.  A 
guard  was  sent  out  and  brought  them  in.  They  were 
released  after  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes'  detention. 
Brave  soldiers !  How  fortunate  the  weather  continues 
cool  so  that  the  ladies  cannot  bare  arms,  as  it  might 
interfere  with  the  prison  arrangements,  making  it 
necessary  to  double  the  guard  in  order  to  insure  the 
safe  keeping  of  the  prisoners  and  protect  our  timor 
ous  guards. 

After  dinner  a  guard  came  into  the  room  and  es 
corted  me  down  before  Captain  Parker,  who  told  me 


PRISON    LIFE    IX    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 


39 


to  take  a  seat,  while  he  proceeded  to  look  over  a  paper 
he  held  in  his  hand. 

"  Where  are  you  from?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  have  resided  in  this  city  for  the  past  seven  or 
eight  years,"  I  answered. 

"Where  were  you  born?" 


From    picture    taken    in    1861 

"  I  was  born  in  Baltimore  and  lived  there  until  I 
came  to  Washington." 

"What  is  your  occupation?" 

"  Printer ;  but  since  November  I  have  been  engaged 
in  a  bookstore  on  Seventh  Street." 

"You  have  been  South  during  the  war?" 

"  Yes." 

"  What  were  you  doing  there  ?  " 


40  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

"  I  was  employed  at  Ritchie  &  Dunnavant's." 
(Ritchie  &  Dunnavant  did  the  printing  for  the  State 
and  Confederate  governments). 

"  Do  you  know  Henry  Howe  ?  " 

"  I  do,  sir." 

"Did  you  ever  have  any  difficulty  with  him?" 

"  I  did.  Mr.  Howe  and  a  man  named  Daniels  came 
to  Richmond  while  I  was  there.  They  took  board  at 
a  house  kept  by  Mrs.  Graves,  on  Franklin  Street, 
where  I  was  boarding.  On  the  night  of  July  3d  or 
4th,  I  had  a  sum  of  money  stolen  from  my  pockets. 
Mr.  Howe  and  his  friend  slept  in  the  room  adjoining 
mine.  The  door  between  the  rooms  was  left  open, 
while  the  doors  leading  from  the  rooms  into  the  hall 
were  locked.  The  pants,  in  the  pockets  of  which  I  had 
the  money,  were  hung  on  a  hook  near  the  door,  and 
in  the  morning  the  money  was  gone.  Mr.  Howe  had 
been  boarding  in  the  house  for  about  five  weeks  with 
out  paying  any  board.  That  morning  he  and  his  friend 
Daniels  left  and  went  to  another  boarding  house.  Before 
leaving,  Howe  told  Mrs.  Graves  he  would  not  take  his 
baggage  away  until  he  paid  her  all  he  owed.  He  put 
his  clothes  in  Daniels'  trunk,  and  they  left  with  one 
trunk.  The  next  day  Daniels  came  to  me  and  said: 
1  Howe  has  stolen  your  money.  You  know,  he  had 
none  before  he  left,  and  now  he  has  plenty,  and  he  is 
lying  in  a  beer  house  on  Main  Street,  drunk.'  I  took 
Daniels  to  a  detective,  to  whom  he  repeated  this  story. 
The  detective  arrested  Howe.  He  was  kept  in  prison 
for  about  a  week.  When  brought  before  the  Mayor 
of  Richmond  (Joseph  Mayo)  for  final  examination,  the 
Mayor  said: 

"  '  I  am  confident  one  of  you  two  men  took  that 


V 

PRISON   LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL  4! 

money,  but  as  there  are  two  of  you,  it  is  possible  one 
may  be  innocent,  therefore  I  am  obliged  to  release 
you  both.  But  I  will  give  you  twenty-four  hours  to 
leave  the  city,  and  if  you  do  not  leave  within  that 
time  I  will  have  you  arrested  under  this  act  (reading 
them  the  vagrant  act)  and  put  to  work  in  the 
chain-gang/  ' 

"  Have  you  ever  taken  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
South  ?  "  asked  Captain  Parker. 

"  No,  sir,"   I   replied. 

"Would  you  take  an  oath  to  this  government?" 

"No,  sir;  I  would  not." 

"  That  is  very  strange.  That  you  will  not  take  an 
oath  to  support  a  government  under  whose  flag  you 
live  and  which  protects  you.  And  you  born  in  Mary 
land,  a  loyal  State,  as  she  has  proved  to  be  by  the 
vote  of  her  people." 

As  I  was  a  prisoner  in  his  hands,  I  knew  it  would 
be  folly  on  my  part  to  enter  into  an  argument  on  this 
question,  but  I  said: 

"  I  will  not  take  an  oath  of  allegiance.  You  take 
an  oath  of  office  which  is  binding  on  you  so  long  as 
you  hold  office,  but  you  ask  me  to  take  an  oath  of 
perpetual  allegiance — '  at  any  and  all  times  hereafter, 
and  under  all  circumstances.'  You  have  shown  no  act 
of  mine  to  prove  me  disloyal,  and  I  think  you  have  no 
right  to  demand  such  oath." 

"  Your  refusal  to  take  the  oath  is  sufficient  proof 
of  your  disloyalty.  How  long  have  you  been  here, 
sir?" 

"A  week  last  Saturday.  I  was  arrested  and  brought 
here,  and  have  not  been  able  to  learn  either  the  name 
of  mv  accuser  or  the  nature  of  the  accusation." 


42  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

"  I  will  inform  you,  then,  that  Mr.  Howe  is  the  prin 
cipal  witness  against  you.  I  have  done  with  you  for 
to-day,  sir." 

>     I  then  left  him  and  went  back  to  my  room.     Here 
one  man  is  judge,  jury  and  witness. 

There  are  a  number  of  men  here  in  close  confine 
ment.  We  can  see  them  as  they  are  taken  out  in  the 
yard  daily  in  charge  of  a  guard.  None  of  the  other 
prisoners  are  allowed  to  speak  to  them. 

I  have  been  fascinated  with  the  reading  of  Byron's 
"  Prisoner  of  Chillon "  and  with  Dumas'  picture 
of  the  "  Man  With  the  Iron  Mask,"  of  the 
mysteries  and  miseries  of  the  Bastile,  and  the 
wretched  prisoners  who  were  immured  within 
its  dismal  walls.  I  have  felt  my  blood  tingle 
when  I  read  of  men  who  had  not  been  convicted 
of  any  crime,  and,  in  some  instances,  who  had  com 
mitted  no  crime,  yet  had  been  confined  for  years — 
often  uncared  for  and  forgotten,  under  the  infamous 
system  of  the  Icttre  dc  cachet.  I  regarded  them  mostly 
as  sensational  stories — as  fiction — but  here  the  picture 
is  faithfully  copied — the  lettrc  dc  cachet,  the  prison, 
the  murder — all  here  in  the  stern  reality. 

Many  persons  confined  here  were  arrested,  robbed 
of  everything  they  possessed,  and  kept  merely  on  sus 
picion  for  weeks,  and  even  months,  without  examina 
tion  or  trial,  and  sometimes,  after  an  examination  and 
no  proof  of  charges,  being  still  detained. 

The  occupants  of  the  rooms  on  the  same  floor  with 
Room  16  (Rooms  14,  15  and  18),  are  mostly  farmers 
from  Virginia,  living  either  within  the  Union  lines 
or  on  disputed  territory.  Because  of  their  refusal  to 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance,  they  are  arrested  and 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  43 

brought  to  the  Old  Capitol.  They  were  robbed  of 
their  personal  property,  their  negroes  run  off,  and 
in  many  instances  their  houses  and  farm  buildings 
destroyed. 

Among  the  prisoners  with  me  in  Room  16  is  an  old 
gentleman  named  Henry  Love.  He  and  his  son 
Llewellyn  are  both  prisoners.  The  old  gentleman 
seems  completely  broken  down.  In  telling  me  the  story 
of  his  treatment,  he  said : 

"  I  kept  a  hotel,  and  also  farmed,  near  Dumfries, 
Virginia.  I  had  a  farm  of  200  acres,  all  under  culti 
vation,  except  about  25  acres  in  wood.  My  house  was 
taken  by  Federal  troops  and  used  as  a  hospital,  leav 
ing  me  only  three  rooms  for  myself  and  family.  They 
killed  seventeen  head  of  cattle,  some  of  the  finest  cows 
you  ever  saw ;  my  stock  was  all  choice  breeds.  One 
cow,  with  her  second  calf,  was  killed,  her  hindquarters 
cut  off,  and  the  balance,  with  the  calf,  left  to  rot. 
They  killed  forty  hogs,  took  two  of  my  best  horses, 
Black  Hawks,  killed  all  my  poultry;  took  two  stacks 
of  hay,  two  entire  crops  of  corn,  wheat  and  oats,  and 
two  hundred  and  seventy  pounds  of  bacon.  They  de 
stroyed  all  my  shrubbery  and  fences.  My  place  is  now 
as  bare  as  the  palm  of  your  hand." 

He  was  afterward  taken  prisoner,  then  released  on 
parole,  but  is  now  again  under  arrest.  He  was  called 
before  Parker,  who  told  him  there  were  no  charges 
against  him,  but  as  he  was  a  Secessionist  he  would 
have  to  keep  him  for  a  while. 

Another  is  James  Johnson,  of  Clarke  County,  Vir 
ginia,  who  was  taken  from  his  home  by  a  raiding 
party.  He  was  robbed  of  everything,  his  horse  stolen, 
and  he  has  been  kept  a  prisoner  for  two  months.  He 


44  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

is  sick  all  the  time ;  appears  to  be  in  an  advanced  stage 
of  consumption. 

Mr.  Redmond  Brawner,  who  lived  at  Manassas,  lost 
everything,  and  he,  with  his  family,  were  compelled  to 
become  refugees.  He  was  arrested,  and  is  now  a 
prisoner  riere. 

Mr.  James  F.  Kerfoot,  of  Millwood,  Clarke  County, 
Virginia,  when  arrested  was  buying  cattle  for  the 
Confederate  Government.  He  had  in  his  possession 
$18,000  belonging  to  the  Government  and  $400  of  his 
own  money.  He  was  stripped  of  everything. 

Another  of  my  room-mates  is  Mr.  George  S.  Ayre, 
of  Loudoun  County,  Virginia.  At  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  he  was  a  wealthy  farmer  and  cattle  dealer.  He 
owned  one  of  the  finest  improved  farms  in  the  county 
and  slaves  enough  to  cultivate  it.  The  army  under 
General  Geary  camped  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
farm,  and  one  day  loaded  up  twenty-six  four-horse 
wagons  with  corn  and  provender,  and  in  return  the 
quartermaster  gave  receipts.  Since  then  he  has  suf 
fered  at  the  hands  of  raiding  parties,  and  now  is 
arrested  and  imprisoned  here. 

[Mr.  Ayre  was  released  a  short  time  before  I  was 
and  returned  to  his  home.  In  the  Fall  of  1863,  Gen 
eral  Hunter  threatened  Lynchburg,  where  Mr.  Ayre 
had  a  quantity  of  tobacco  stored.  Fearing  it  might  be 
destroyed,  he  went  South,  disposed  of  it,  and  started 
for  home  with  the  proceeds  of  the  sale.  When  near 
James  City,  in  Culpeper  County,  he  met  a  scouting 
party  from  Meade's  army,  who  first  carried  him  to 
headquarters  and  then  to  Washington,  where  the 
Provost-Marshal  took  from  him  his  money,  amounting 
to  $80,000  in  Virginia  money,  a  $1,000  bond,  and  some 


PRISON   LIFE   IN   THE   OLD   CAPITOL  45 

valuable  papers,  and  held  him  as  a  hostage  for  a 
Captain  Samuel  Steers,  who  was  captured  by  Mosby's 
men.  He  was  held  a  prisoner  for  nine  months. 

His  slaves  all  remained  with  him,  and  he  continued 
to  cultivate  his  land,  consequently  he  had  good  crops 
on  hand  in  November,  1864,  when  General  Sheridan 
sent  his  forces  into  Loudoun  to  destroy  crops  and 
property  in  his  futile  efforts  to  drive  out  Mosby  and 
his  men,  who  continued  to  occupy  the  same  ground 
until  after  the  surrender  of  General  Lee.  Mr.  Ayre 
then  had  three  crops  of  wheat  in  the  stack.  The  Union 
troops  burned  8,000  bushels  of  wheat,  130  tons  of  hay, 
70  acres  of  corn  in  the  shock,  a  new  barn  with  all  his 
machinery  and  farming  implements,  and  drove  off  80 
fine  improved  sheep.* 

After  the  war  he  put  in  a  claim,  through  his  Repre 
sentative  in  Congress,  endeavoring  to  recover  some 
thing  for  these  losses,  but  his  claim  was  bandied  about 
from  committee  to  committee,  and  from  Congress  to 
the  Court  of  Claims,  while  the  poor  old  man,  now  in 
his  93d  year,  penniless  and  broken  in  health,  is  unable 
to  get  a  cent  from  the  Government  in  return.] 

*  When  General  Pope  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
Army  of  Virginia,  he  issued  a  General  Order  to  his  sol 
diers  which  virtually  gave  them  unbridled  license  to  plun 
der  and  destroy,  by  depriving  the  citizens  of  the  section 
of  country  through  which  they  were  passing  of  even 
the  trifling  amount  of  protection  afforded  by  safeguards, 
as  may  be  seen  by  the  copy  of  the  Order  here  shown: 

HEADQUARTERS,  ARMY  OF  VIRGINIA  ) 

Washington,  July  25th.  } 

General  Orders  No.  13. — Hereafter  no  guards  will  be 
placed  over  private  houses  or  private  property  of  any 
description  whatever.  Commanding  officers  are  respon 
sible  for  the  conduct  of  the  troops  under  their  command, 


46  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

Wednesday,  Feb.  n. — We  received  some  newspapers 
to-day,  and  in  them  I  see  it  stated  that  Captain  Wynne 
escaped  from  the  Old  Capitol  Prison  on  Monday  night 
last,  by  breaking  out  a  panel  of  his  door.  This  no 
doubt  gave  rise  to  the  ghost  story  which  was  going 
the  rounds  of  the  prison  at  that  time,  of  the  ghost 
without  a  head  who  frightened  the  wits  out  of  some  of 
the  sentries. 

I  heard  a  great  commotion  in  the  prison  to-day,  and 
as  the  noise  approached  nearer  and  grew  more  distinct, 
I  could  detect  the  cry  of  "  Fresh  fish !  Fresh  fish !  " 
which  I  was  afterward  told  announced  the  arrival  of  a 
fresh  lot  of  prisoners.  Among  them  were  a  number  of 
blockade  runners — eleven  white  and  six  negroes.  Two 
of  the  whites  were  put  in  our  room.  At  the  advent  of 
a  new  prisoner,  the  old  ones  gather  around,  anxious 
to  hear  the  latest  news  from  the  outside  world. 

Captain  Thomas  Phillips  had  an  interview  with 
Captain  Parker  to-day.  He  was  sentenced  to  three 
months'  imprisonment. 

Phillips  was  captain  of  a  vessel  captured  while  at 
tempting  to  run  the  blockade  into  Wilmington,  N.  C. 
His  clothes  and  money,  together  with  his  quadrant 
and  charts,  were  all  taken  from  him. 

and  the  articles  of  war  and  the  regulations  of  the  army 
provide  ample  means  for  restraining  them  to  the  full  ex 
tent  required  for  discipline  and  efficiency.  Soldiers  were 
called  into  the  field  to  do  battle  against  the  enemy,  and 
it  is  not  expected  that  their  force  and  energy  shall  be 
wasted  in  protecting  private  property  of  those  most  hos 
tile  to  the  government.  No  soldier  serving  in  this  army 
shall  be  hereafter  employed  on  such  service. 

BY  COMMAND  OF  MAJOR-GEN.  POPE, 

(Signed),  Geo.   D.   Ruggles, 
Col.  A.  A.  G.  and  Chief  of  Staff. 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  47 

Blockade  running  is  a  dangerous  but,  when  success 
ful,  a  very  profitable  business.  Of  the  few  ports  oi 
the  Southern  Confederacy  used  for  running  the  block 
ade,  that  of  Wilmington,  N.  C,  is  the  one  most  fre 
quently  chosen,  from  the  fact  of  there  being  two 
entrances,  or  channels,  leading  into  the  Cape  Fear 
River,  on  which  the  city  of  "Wilmington  is  situated, 
the  south  entrance  being  protected  by  Fort  Fisher  and 
Fort  Caswell ;  the  north,  or  new  inlet,  by  Fort  Fisher 
and  a  small  land  battery. 

[One  of  the  strongest  inducements  for  running  the 
blockade  was  the  enormous  value  of  cotton  outside  of 
the  Confederacy.  A  vessel  laden  with  provisions, 
medical  stores,  arms  and  munitions  of  war  for  the 
Confederate  Government,  effecting  an  entrance,  dis 
charging  her  load  and  taking  in  a  return  cargo  of  cot 
ton,  which  wrould  perhaps  yield  a  profit  of  five  or  six 
hundred  per  cent.,  if  successful  in  evading  the  block 
ading  squadron,  would  certainly  furnish  a  strong 
incentive  for  other  daring  adventurers  to  take  the  risk 
of  a  voyage. 

The  high  rate  of  wages  paid  to  master  and  crew 
was  always  a  sufficient  inducement  to  secure  a  comple 
ment  of  hardy  and  efficient  men  for  the  enterprise.] 

Three  ladies  called  at  the  prison  to-day.  After  they 
left  the  building,  one  of  them  looked  up,  and  seeing 
some  of  the  prisoners  at  the  window,  bowed  to  them. 
The  guard  called  out  to  the  corporal,  who  started  a 
soldier  after  them.  He  pursued  them  down  the  street, 
but  returned  shortly  after,  saying  they  refused  to  re 
turn  with  him.  Of  course,  we  were  all  pleased  with  the 
result. 

Thursday,  Feb.  12. — Our  time  is  spent  in  reading, 


48  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

when  we  have  anything  to  read;  card  playing,  domi 
noes,  or  checkers.  Newspapers  we  get  occasionally. 
Some  devote  much  of  their  time  to  smoking,  others 
to  relating  stories  of  adventures,  with  an  occasional 
song  and  dance. 

Among  the  songs  is  one,  written  before  my  advent 
into  this,  my  prison  home,  by  some  one,  of  whose  name 
even  I  am  ignorant;  but  being  a  picture  of  our  prison 
life,  as  well  as  a  faithful  expression  of  the  sentiments 
cherished  at  the  time  in  the  breasts  of  many  who 
dared  not  give  them  utterance  outside  of  these 
prison  walls,  without  the  risk  of  punishment  or  exile, 
I  give  it  here  entire  and  unaltered. 

«  SONG. 

Air — Villikins  and  His  Dinah. 

All  persons  confined  in  the  Capitol  jail 
Must  know  that  habeas  corpus  shall  never  avail 
In  taking  them  hence,  for  'twas  lately  decreed 
That  laws  are  denied  to  all  men  of  our  creed. 

Chorus 

So  let's  be  contented,  whatever  may  come, 
We'll  live  upon  hope  in  the  absence  of  rum ; 
And  in  water  we'll  drink,  when  affected  with 

drought, 
A  health  to  old  Jeff  and  success  to  the  South. 

Now,  this  one  advantage  'tis  ours  to  claim — 
Though  prisoners  in  fact,  yet  proud  of  that  name ; 
While  others  their  statutes  pull  down  from  their  shelves 
We  legally  make  other  laws  for  ourselves. 

Chorus 


PRISON   LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL  49 

Abe  Lincoln,  full  gorged  with  imperial  power, 
Destroying  the  work  of  long  years  in  an  hour, 
Makes  anarchy  reign,  heaping  sin  upon  sin, 
Whilst  we  are  establishing  order  within. 

Chorus 

On  the  streets,  in  the  halls  where  the  multitude  throng, 
To  speak  certain  things  is  essentially  wrong, 
But  here  we're  more  free,  be  it  spoken  or  sung; 
There's  a  lock  on  the  door,  but  no  lock  on  the  tongue. 

Chorus 

Outside,  if  you  drill  with  a  stick  for  a  gun, 
You  are  called  a  vile  Rebel,  and  treated  as  one ; 
But  here  we've  a  barrack  in  every  room, 
In  lieu  of  a  gun,  we  disport  with  a  broom. 

Chorus 

We're  healthy  within,  but  there's  danger  without, 
For  wherever  you  turn  there's  a  gun  at  your  snout, 
But  here  we're  as  safe  as  a  bug  in  a  rug, 
And  the  adage  is  false,  "  There's  death  in  a  jug." 

Chorus 

But  heed  not  the  twaddle  of  tyrants  and  knaves; 
Though   they   the  laws  make,   they   cannot  make  us 

slaves ; 

Unheeding  the  wrong   and  maintaining  the  right, 
We'll  stick  to  our  creed  to  the  end  of  the  fight. 

Chorus 

OLD  CAPITOL  PRISON,  Washington,  1862. 

This  would  be  one  feature  of  the  program,  with 
"Maryland,  My  Maryland,"  "Dixie,"  "The  Bonnie 
Blue  Flag,"  and  a  song,  the  chorus  of  which  ran — 


5O  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

"Ain't  You  Glad  You're  Out  of  the  Wilderness  ?"  but 
which  a  few  months  later  was  changed  to  "  Ol'  Joe 
Hooker,  Come  Out  of  the  Wilderness." 

When  the  singing  would  lag  a  little,  Fax  Minor, 
on  whom  the  sound  of  music  or  singing  caused  a  con 
traction  and  extension  of  the  muscles,  producing  an 
effect  like  pulling  the  strings  of  a  supple-jack,  would 
jump  up  and  execute  a  regular  plantation  break-down. 

Some  of  our  room-mates  were  gifted  with  goo  i 
voices,  which,  though  untrained  or  uncultivated,  were 
pleasing  to  the  ear,  and,  combined  with  the  sentiment 
of  the  songs,  had  an  inspiring  effect  on  the  listeners, 
like  the  strains  of  martial  music  on  the  lagging  foot 
steps  of  the  marching  soldier. 

One  day  as  they  were  singing  "  Maryland,  My 
Maryland,"  Gus  Williams,  getting  up  from  a  bench 
near  the  stove,  where  he  sat  whittling  a  stick,  advanced 
toward  the  group  of  singers  and  said: 

"  You  boys  sing  that  well,  but  I've  heard  '  My 
Maryland  '  sung  here  in  the  old  building  in  a  way 
that  would  make  you  feel  like  jumping  out  of  the 
window  and  swimming  across  the  Potomac.  When 
Belle  Boyd  was  here  I  was  on  the  same  floor.  She 
\vould  sing  that  song  as  if  her  very  soul  was  in  every 
word  she  uttered.  It  used  to  bring  a  lump  up  in  my 
throat  every  time  I  heard  it.  It  seemed  like  my  heart 
was  ready  to  jump  out — as  if  I  could  put  my  finger 
down  and  touch  it.  I've  seen  men,  when  she  was  sing 
ing,  walk  off  to  one  side  and  pull  out  their  handker 
chiefs  and  wipe  their  eyes,  for  fear  some  one  would 
see  them  doing  the  baby  act. 

"  She  left  soon  after  I  came  in.  I  was  glad  to  know 
that  she  was  released,  but  we  all  missed  her.  Even 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  51 

some  of  the  Yankees,  although  they  would  not  show 
it  while  she  was  here;  but  when  she  was  sent  away 
they  missed  her  sweet  singing — Rebel  songs  though 
they  were.  One  of  them  told  me  it  made  him  feel 
sad  to  hear  her  sing. 

"And  on  Sundays,  when  there  was  preaching  down 
in  the  yard,  she  would  be  allowed  to  come  down  and 
sit  near  the  preacher.  If  you  could  only  have  seen 
r.ow  the  fellows  would  try  to  get  near  her  as  she 
passed.  And  if  she  gave  them  a  look  or  a  smile,  it 
did  them  more  good  than  the  preaching.  You  wouldn't 
hear  a  cuss  word  from  any  of  them  for  a  week,  even 
if  one  of  the  guards  would  swear  at  them  or  threaten 
them."* 

*  Belle  Boyd  had  a  most  remarkable  career.  Her  life 
story,  with  the  account  of  her  daring  exploits,  is  more 
like  romance  than  reality.  She  was  born  in  Martins- 
burg,  Va.,  in  May,  1843,  and  was  little  more  than  a  school 
girl  when  the  war  broke  out.  Her  father,  John  Read 
Boyd,  was  an  officer  in  the  Confederate  army.  The  act 
which  first  brought  her  into  notice  was  the  shooting  by 
her  of  a  Federal  soldier  who  assailed  her  mother — she 
seized  her  father's  pistol  and  shot  him  dead.  She  then 
threw  all  her  energy  into  the  struggle.  On  information 
furnished  by  her,  Stonewall  Jackson  drove  Banks  out 
of  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  for  which  service  Jackson 
sent  a  special  dispatch  thanking  her.  Her  daring  led  to 
her  capture  and  imprisonment  in  the  Old  Capitol  for 
three  months.  She  was  then  exchanged  for  Colonel 
Corcoran,  of  the  69th  New  York  Regiment.  She  went 
South,  was  commissioned  as  Captain  in  the  Confederate 
army,  and  served  as  courier  and  in  the  Secret  Service. 

After  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  she  went  home,  was 
arrested  and  sent  to  Carroll  Prison,  Washington,  D.  C, 
where  she  was  confined  for  seven  months,  and  sentenced 
to  be  shot,  but  through  the  efforts  of  influential  parties 
she  was  exchanged  for  General  Nathan  Goff,  of  West 
Virginia.  She  afterward  sailed  from  Wilmington,  N.  C., 
in  the  steamer  Greyhound,  with  important  dispatches  for 
England,  but  after  a  chase  the  steamer  was  captured  by 


\l      52  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

Friday,  Feb.  13. — George  Hammett,  Davis,  Gardner 
and  George  were  released  this  afternoon  upon  taking 
the  oath. 

Saturday,  Feb.  14. — A  number  of  prisoners  were 
brought  in  to-day.  There  are  said  to  be  450  prisoners 
here  at  present,  the  greater  portion  of  them  being 
citizens. 

Last  night  I  was  awakened  by  hearing  an  unusual 
commotion  throughout  the  building.  This  morning 
there  were  a  number  of  prisoners  in  the  guard  house. 
It  is  said  that  Captain  Darling  and  George  Adreon 
escaped.  The  sentinel  was  bribed,  and  a  greater  num 
ber  would  have  escaped  but  for  the  indiscretion  of  the 
prisoners.  They  were  so  jubilant  at  the  prospect  of 
getting  out,  that  they  had  some  whiskey  snaked  into 
the  room  and  treated  the  sentinel.  They  made  him 
drunk,  so  that  he  had  to  be  taken  off  post,  and  he  was 
put  in  the  guard  house.  The  new  man  being  ignorant 
of  the  deal  made  with  his  comrade,  the  whole  scheme 
failed.  There  is  a  standing  order  to  sentinels  on  each 

the  Federal  cruiser  Connecticut,  and  Belle  was  brought 
back,  court-martialed  in  Boston,  and  again  sentenced  to 
be  shot.  Her  sentence  was  afterward  commuted,  and 
she  was  escorted  to  the  Canadian  border  by  a  deputy 
marshal,  with  the  understanding  that  if  she  ever  returned 
to  the  United  States  she  would  be  put  to  death. 

She  died  in  Kilbourne,  Wis.,  in  June,  1890. 

Superintendent  Wood,  of  the  Old  Capitol  Prison,  is 
reported  as  saying  of  her:  "Her  face  was  not  what 
would  be  called  pretty — her  features  indicated  firmness 
and  daring,  but  her  figure  was  perfect,  and  a  splendid 
specimen  of  feminine  health  and  vigor.  She  was  a  good 
talker,  very  persuasive,  and  the  most  persistent  and  en 
thusiastic  Rebel  who  ever  came  under  my  charge.  Her 
father  sent  her,  from  time  to  time,  large  sums  of  money, 
most  of  which  was  expended  for  the  comfort  of  the  Con 
federate  prisoners  in  the  Old  Capitol." 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  53 

floor  to  allow  not  more  than  two  men  to  leave  their 
rooms  at  a  time.  Trusting  to  their  arrangement  with 
the  sentry,  the  prisoners  who  were  in  the  plot  would 
leave  singly  on  this  night,  at  slight  intervals,  until  the 
guards,  seeing  so  many  more  going  out  than  the  rules 
permitted,  became  suspicious  and  reported  their  sus 
picions.  Consequently,  as  each  prisoner  left  his  room 
and  went  down  stairs,  he  was  quietly  taken  to  the 
guard  house,  until  the  number  of  absentees  from  the 
rooms  became  so  numerous  the  prisoners  themselves 
gre\v  suspicious,  and  the  exodus  was  stopped. 

It  is  an  easy  matter  to  get  whiskey  here.  A  bright 
young  contraband,  whose  ebony  face  gives  proof  of 
the  purity  of  his  Congo  blood,  comes  into  our  room 
every  morning  to  remove  the  ashes  and  refuse.  For  a 
trifling  sum  Charlie  will  bring  in  two  flasks  of  whiskey 
in  the  breast  pockets  of  his  coat,  and  afterward  take 
back  the  empty  flasks.  Many  of  the  prison  guards  are 
ready  to  do  the  same  when  asked. 

Mr.  James  Fullerton  came  to  see  me  to-day.  He 
told  me  my  wife  went  to  the  Provost-Marshal's  office 
last  Tuesday  and  asked  for  a  pass  to  visit  me,  but  was 
refused. 

Sunday,  Feb.  15. — Stephen  R.  Mount,  of  Loudoun 
County,  Virginia,  aged  sixty-eight,  was  put  in  our 
room  to-day.  There  is  another  old  gentleman  here, 
named  Randolph,  aged  seventy-five.  He  is  also  from 
Virginia. 

An  order  was  issued  to-day  that  no  more  singing  of 
Rebel  songs  will  be  tolerated.  Also,  that  any  prisoner 
bowing  or  otherwise  noticing  persons  passing  on  the 
street,  will  be  put  in  the  guard  house. 

There  are  no  printed  rules  for  our  guidance  placed 


54  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 

where  they  can  be  seen,  and  no  official  instructions  as 
to  how  we  are  to  act,  or  to  whom  we  shall  make  known 
our  necessities.  A  knowledge  can  only  be  gained  from 
conversing  with  prisoners  who  have  been  a  long  time 
in  the  prison,  or  from  actual  observation,  or  from  see 
ing  punishment  inflicted  upon  some  poor  wretch  for  a 
.  violation  of  an  unwritten  law.  One  can  only  do  as 
you  see  others  do,  and  if  you  blindly  follow  a  willful 
or  ignorant  transgressor,  you  must  take  the  punish 
ment  of  a  guilty  person. 

The  daily  routine  may  be  summed  up  as  follows : 

The  first  call  in  the  morning  is  when  the  door  is 
thrown  open  and  breakfast  announced.  All  in  the 
room  then  scamper  down  to  the  yard  and  into  the 
mess-room  already  described. 

About  nine  o'clock  the  door  is  again  opened  and  a 
voice  shouts  in  tones  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  all, 
"Sick  Call."  Then  all  who  have  need  of  medicine 
or  treatment  go  to  the  hospital,  located  in  a  two-story 
wooden  building,  an  extension  of  the  main  building, 
and  reached  by  a  flight  of  steps  leading  up  from  the 
prison  yard. 

The  next  sensation  is  the  dinner  call.  This  gives 
the  prisoners  a  half  hour,  most  of  which,  if  not  all, 
is  spent  in  the  yard.  The  yard  is  about  one  hundred 
feet  square,  partly  paved  with  bricks  or  cobble-stones.* 
On  the  side  of  this  yard,  extending  from  this  wooden 
building  occupied  as  sutler's  shop,  mess-room  and 
hospital,  and  running  back  to  the  gate,  is  a  one-story 


*  It  was  in  a  corner  of  this  yard,  a  few  years  later, 
after  the  close  of  the  war,  that  poor  Wirz,  condemned  and 
tried  by  a  Military  Court  Martial,  was  judicially  mur 
dered. 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  55 

stone  building  in  which  are  the  cook  house,  guard 
house  and  wash  house.  Back  of  this  building  are  the 
sinks  used  by  the  prisoners.  These  are  wide  trenches 
with  a  long  wooden  rail  in  front,  after  the  manner  of 
the  trenches  in  the  camps,  except  that  when  those  in 
the  camps  become  offensive  they  are  filled  in  with 
earth  and  new  ones  dug.  The  presence  of  these  sinks, 
used  for  months  by  several  hundred  men,  it  may  be 
safely  said,  did  not  contribute  to  the  beauty  of  the 


STOVE  WHICH    STOOD  IX   CENTER  OF  ROOM    l6 

scenery  or  add  sweetness  to  the  tainted  air.  Any 
further  description,  I  think,  is  better  left  to  the  imag 
ination  than  expressed  in  words. 

After  returning  to  our  rooms  there  is  another  lull 
until  supper-time,  when  we  enjoy  the  freedom  of  the 
prison  yard  until  it  is  rudely  broken  into  by  the  gruff 
voice  of  the  sergeant:  "Time's  up.  Go  to  your 
rooms." 

Next  comes  the  roll-call,  when  the  prisoners  are 
lined  up  in  their  respective  rooms  to  answer  to  their 
names  as  called. 

Lastly,  taps  is  sounded,  by  the  guard  marching 
through  the  halls  and  calling  out  at  the  doors  of  the 
rooms  :  "Lights  out."  At  this  warning  cry  every  light 
must  be  extinguished,  and  the  prisoners  are  com- 


56  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

pelled  to  go  to  their  bunks  or  sit  in  the  dark.  And 
here  is  where  our  rusty  fat  pork,  saved  by  us  from 
the  mess-room  table,  is  made  do  good  service. 

One  night  we  sat  around  the  stove,  with  a  quantity 
of  this  over-rich  food,  contributed  by  the  inmates  of 
our  room,  one  of  whom  sat  in  front  of  the  stove  and 
threw  in  piece  by  piece  as  it  burned  away.  This  shed 
a  light  over  the  room,  and  it  was  seen  by  the  sentry 
pacing  his  beat  in  front  of  the  building.  He  called 
out  "Corporal  of  the  guard,  Post  No.  i." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  sound  of  approaching  foot 
steps  was  heard  in  the  hall  outside,  the  door  was 
thrown  open  and  a  corporal  with  guard  entered. 

"What  are  you  doing  with  a  light  here?"  said  he. 

"We  have  no  light  here,"  was  the  reply. 

"You  have,"  said  the  corporal,  "we  can  see  it  plainly 
from  the  street." 

"Oh,  that  is  only  a  piece  of  fat  meat  \ve  threw  in  the 
stove." 

The  corporal,  although  he  saw  the  flickering  remains 
through  the  open  stove  door,  marched  away  with  an 
incredulous  and  unsatisfied  air. 

Tuesday,  Feb.  17. — Captain  Parker  called  me 
down  this  afternoon.  He  told  me  he  had  received  a 
letter  from  Mr.  James  Fullerton,  stating  that  my  wife 
was  ill,  and  my  eldest  child  very  ill  with  dropsy  after 
scarlet  fever.  He  said  that  under  the  circumstances 
he  would  grant  me  a  parole  for  one  day  only,  to 
see  them.  I  was  accordingly  released  to  report  to 
Superintendent  Wood  at  five  o'clock  to-morrow. 
On  reaching  home,  I  found  my  son  Henry  lying 
ill,  delirious,  and  so  changed  I  could  scarcely  recog 
nize  him. 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL  57       V 

Wednesday,  Feb.  18. — At  Home. — Mrs.  Fullerton 
called  this  morning.  She  said  she  had  been  to  the  prison 
and  had  carried  a  few  things,  including  my  wife's 
picture.  The  officer  who  received  them  said  he  would 
give  them  to  me.  She  then  handed  him  a  note  from 
my  mother,  stating  that  my  wife  was  recovering  from 
her  illness  and  was  able  to  go  about  the  house.  When 
requested  to  hand  me  this  the  officer  said:  "There 
can  be  no  communication,  unless  it  goes  through  the 
Provost-Marshal's  office."  So  I  had  been  denied  this 
slight  gratification,  of  knowing  that  my  wife,  whom 
I  left  suffering  from  an  attack  of  typhus  fever,  was 
improving  in  health.  This  afternoon  I  went  to  prison 
and  reported  myself  to  Captain  Higgins.  I  told  him 
my  child  was  very  ill;  that  the  disease  was  just  at  its 
height  and  his  recovery  doubtful.  That  under  the  cir 
cumstances  I  would  like  to  have  my  parole  extended 
for  a  short  time,  until  I  saw  how  the  disease  would 
likely  terminate.  He  told  me  he  would  see  Captain 
Parker.  After  hearing  my  request,  Parker  asked  if 
I  could  get  a  certificate  to  the  effect  that  my  child 
was  dangerously  ill.  Told  him  I  could.  He  said : 
"If  you  will  bring  me  such  certificate  from  the  attend 
ing  physician,  I  will  grant  you  a  parole  until  Friday, 
at  5  P.M."  He  added,  "As  you  are  living  in  this 
city  and  refuse  to  take  the  oath,  it  proves  that  your 
sympathy  is  with  the  South."  After  leaving  the  prison 
I  went  to  the  office  of  Dr.  Toner  and  procured  the 
required  certificate. 

Thursday,  Feb.  19. — This  morning  went  to 
headquarters  of  Military  Governor,  and  gave 
the  certificate  to  Captain  Parker,  according  to  agree 
ment. 


58  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

From  a  conversation  which  I  overheard  while  stand 
ing  on  the  steps  at  the  Provost-Marshal's  office,  one 
can  get  a  faint  idea  of  the  state  of  society  now  existing 
under  the  infamous  spy  system.  A  sergeani;  and 
corporal  were  standing  near  the  doorway,  conversing 
with  a  citizen : 

Sergeant — You  know  he  is  a  Secessionist? 

Citizen — Yes. 

Sergeant — Then  go  in  and  report  him. 

Citizen  (smiling  and  shrugging  his  shoulders) — I 
don't  like- 
Corporal — You  have  gone  too  far  now ;  you  must 
go  in  and  report  him. 

Sergeant — Your  name  won't  appear  at  all  in  this. 

The  citizen  still  appeared  to  hesitate,  but  the  two 
were  still  urging  him  when  I  passed  on. 

Fostered  by  partisan  hatred  or  private  malice,  a 
system  of  espionage  has  been  established  which  is  felt 
on  every  side.  Servants  and  employees  are  tampered 
with,  witnesses  are  bought  or  threatened.  Actions  or 
expressions,  in  themselves  perfectly  innocent,  are  per 
verted  and  by  misconstruction  made  to  assume  an 
air  of  treason  or  disloyalty.  In  this  way  persons  are 
often  arrested  and  imprisoned  for  months  without 
trial  or  without  even  knowing  the  nature  of  the  charge 
against  them  or  the  name  of  their  accuser. 

Friday,  Feb.  20. — Henry  passed  a  very  uneasy 
night.  The  doctor  says  he  is  not  so  well  this  morning 
as  yesterday;  still,  he  says  he  has  hopes  of  saving 
him.  I  hope  for  the  best,  yet  fear  the  worst.  This 
afternoon,  between  four  and  five  o'clock,  reported  my 
self  at  the  Old  Capitol.  After  having  my  valise 
searched,  I  retired  to  my  room,  where  I  found  a  num- 


PRISON    LIFE    IX    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  59 

her  of  prisoners  in  addition  to  those  I  left  when  I 
went  out  on  parole. 

Captain  Phillips  was  released  from  guard  house  this 
afternoon.  A  few  days  ago  he  asked  Wood  to  give 
him  a  parole.  Wood  refused,  and  said  no  paroles 
would  be  granted.  Phillips  said  a  man  who  was  con 
fined  under  similar  circumstances  to  himself  had  been 
given  a  parole  on  the  day  his  vessel  was  to  be  sold. 
Soon  after  this  interview  I  saw  Phillips  and  Wood 
running  around  the  yard,  both  much  excited.  Phillips 
said,  "Come  on ;  I  will  show  you  the  man."  Wood 
said,  "Go  on;  Pll  prove  either  you  or  him  to  be  a 
liar.1'  When  Phillips  found  the  man,  Wood  was  not 
to  be  found. 

A  day  or  two  after  this,  Phillips  was  going  into  the 
office  to  pay  the  clerk,  Air.  Drew,  for  a  pair  of  spectacles, 
when  Wood,  who  was  in  the  office  at  the  time,  called 
out  to  him  in  a  rough  manner,  and  Phillips  went  out 
and  closed  the  door.  When  he  got  to  his  room  a 
guard  came  up  and  took  him  to  the  guard  house,  from 
which  he  was  only  released  to-day.  Wood  said  he  had 
not  intended  to  keep  him  there  so  long,  but  had  for 
gotten  him. 

How  faithfully  does  history  repeat  itself.  How 
many  unfortunates  have  been  arrested,  thrown  into 
prison,  and  their  accusers  having  accomplished  their 
object  in  placing  them  in  durance,  cared  no  more 
about  them,  and  their  jailers  were  totally  indifferent 
in  the  matter.  Wood  said  the  principal  cause  for  his 
punishment  was  the  indifference  with  which  Phillips 
appeared  to  treat  him. 

Sunday,  Feb.  22. — I  was  told  there  are  over  five 
hundred  prisoners  here  now.  When  those  in  our  room 


60  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

were  counted  last  night  there  were  found  to  be  thirty- 
four.  A  number  of  fresh  fish  have  been  brought  in 
since  my  return. 

Sixty-two  prisoners  were  brought  here  from  Camp 
Chase.  Some  have  been  imprisoned  for  fifteen  months. 
About  twenty  of  them  have  no  charge  against  them 
except  refusal  to  take  the  oath. 

Goldsmith  said  that  while  he  was  in  the  guard 
house  a  Union  soldier  was  put  in  who  was  drunk  and 
noisy,  and  the  lieutenant  came  in,  slapped  him  in  the 
face  and  kicked  him  several  times. 

One  of  my  fellow-prisoners  is  an  old  gentleman 
from  Virginia,  named  John  B.  Hunter.  He  is  over 
sixty  years  of  age.  He  is  detained  without  any  charge 
whatever,  but  as  a  hostage  for  a  man  named  Stiles, 
who  has  made  himself  notorious  as  a  spy  and  detec 
tive,  and  by  acting  as  guide  in  piloting  raiding  parties 
through  Virginia.  Mr.  Hunter  was  called  down  last 
night  by  Captain  Parker,  who  told  him  information 
had  been  received  that  Stiles  had  been  released,  and 
that  he,  too,  would  be  released.  That  he  could  leave 
the  prison  then  or  wait  until  to-day.  He  has  been  in 
prison  forty-two  days  altogether,  and  his  health  is 
now  very  poor. 

Another  of  my  room-mates  is  John  Carr,  of  Fau- 
quier  County,  Va. ;  he  is  a  widower,  who  was 
about  to  be  married.  As  he  was  journeying  on  to  the 
home  of  his  intended  bride,  where  all  the  preparations 
had  been  made  for  the  approaching  nuptials,  he  was 
rudely  seized  by  a  scouting  party  and  landed  here  in 
the  Old  Capitol.  He  has  been  unfortunate  in  his 
matrimonial  ventures.  He  was  married  to  his  second 
wife  a  few  years  before  the  war,  and  started  on  a 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  6l 

bridal  tour  through  some  of  the  Western  States.  It 
happened  that  the  cholera  was  raging  at  the  time  in 
some  parts  of  the  West,  and  while  going  down  the 
Mississippi  River  on  a  steamboat  his  wife  was  sud 
denly  taken  ill  with  cholera  and  died  on  the  boat.  The 
passengers  became  frightened  and  put  him  ashore 
with  the  dead  body  of  his  wife  at  a  desolate  spot  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  at  night  and  in  a  heavy  storm.  He 
was  compelled  to  remain  there  through  the  long, 
dreary  night,  sitting  beside  the  corpse,  holding  a 
blanket  over  it  to  protect  it  from  the  rain,  and  keep 
the  wind  from  blowing  away  the  covering.  The 
splash  of  the  water,  the  puffing  and  snorting  of  the 
boats  on  the  river,  with  the  shrill  blast  of  their  whistles 
or  the  bellowing  of  their  signals  in  passing  each  other, 
found  an  echo  in  the  moaning  and  shrieking  of  the 
angry  wind.  These  mingled  sounds  to  the  sad  watcher 
in  his  lonely  vigil  seemed  a  requiem  for  the  dead. 

Tuesday,  Feb.  24. — Three  of  the  prisoners  brought 
in  last  Saturday  were  Italians — Peter  Eorio,  Raphael 
Rinaldi  and  Marco  Comastri.  They  appear  to  be  very 
intelligent  men,  and  I  have  derived  much  pleasure 
from  conversing  with  them.  They  have  been  in  this 
country  about  three  years.  Living  in  the  South,  and 
wishing  to  return  to  their  native  country,  they  asked 
and  received  permission  from  the  Confederate  au 
thorities  to  pass  through  the  lines ;  having  first  pro 
cured  certificates  to  the  effect  that  they  were  citizens 
of  Italy  and  as  to  their  intentions.  On  their  arrival 
in  Washington  they  were  arrested  and  brought  to 
this  place. 

To-day  the  Commission  appointed  to  try  political 
prisoners  commenced  their  sittings. 


62  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 

Fourteen  prisoners  were  sent  off  to-day  upon  taking 
the  oath.  Quite  a  number  have  been  released  lately 
by  so  doing.  Many  of  them  say  they  do  not  regard  the 
oath — that  it  is  unconstitutional,  unlawful,  and  not  in 
any  sense  binding.* 

*  Regarding  the  Oath,  a  writer  in  the  New  York  Free 
man's  Journal  vented  his  feelings  thus: 

THE  OATH   OF  ALLEGIANCE 
Parody  on  the  Soliloquy  of   Hamlet. 

To  swear  or  not  to  swear,  that  is  the  question. 
Whether  'tis  nobler  in  a  man  to  suffer 
Imprisonment,   exile   and    poverty, 
Or  take  the  oath  amidst  a  sea  of  troubles, 
And  by  submission,  end  them?     To  swear,  to  lie, 
Once  more;  and.  by  a  lie,  to  say  we  end 
Starvation,  nakedness  and  all  the  ails 
That  Rebs  are  heir  to — 'tis  a  perjury 
Devoutly  to  be  wished.     To  swear — to  lie; 
To  lie! — perchance  a  change;  aye,  there's  the  rub, 
For  in  that  change  the  angry  Rebs  may  come, 
When  from  these  lands  the  Feds  are  driven  out, 
Must  give  us  pause;  there's  the  respect 
That  makes  a  man  of  honor  hesitate. 
But  who  would  bear  at  the  dead  hour  of  night 
To  be  'roused  from  his  sleep — dragged  out  of  bed- 
To  be  locked  up  in  jail — to  hold  his  tongue — 
Before  a  mock  tribunal  to  be  tried, 
And  then  condemned  for  deeds  he  knew  not  of, 
When  he  himself  these  evils  might  avoid 
By  perjury?     Who  would  detectives  bear — 
To  look  about  before  he  opes  his  mouth, 
But  that  the  dread  of  bayonets  and  chains — 
The  provost-marshal,  from  whose  iron  grip 
No  victim  e'er  escapes,  puzzles  the  will, 
And  makes  us  swallow  every  oath  that  comes, 
Than  fly  to  evils  that  we  dread  still  more? 
Thus,  love  of  ease  makes  patriots  of  us  all! 
And  thus  our  sympathies  are  sicklied  o'er 
With  confiscation,  banishment  and  death! 
With  this  regard,  we  doff  our  principles, 
And  swallow  Abe,  the  Nigger  and  the  Oath! 

NED  CRACKER. 


PRISON    LIFE    IX    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  63        \ 

Wednesday,  Feb.  25. — This  morning  one  of  the 
negroes  in  the  breakfast  room  accused  a  prisoner  of 
taking  two  pieces  of  bread  instead  of  one,  which  is 
supposed  to  be  one  man's  portion.  Although  the 
man  denied  having  done  so,  the  negro  persisted  in 
saying  he  had,  and  the  man  was  put  in  the  guard 
house. 

Peter  and  John  Flaherty  were  called  before  Parker. 
They  are  British  subjects  and  are  provided  with 
British  protection.  They  had  been  at  work  for  some 
time  in  Richmond,  and  were  on  their  way  North  when 
arrested.  Parker  asked  them  why  they  left  Richmond. 
"Thinking  to  do  better,  sir,"  promptly  replied  Peter. 
They  were  released  with  the  injunction  to  leave  the 
city  within  forty-eight  hours. 

Thursday,  Feb.  26. — Three  more  prisoners  brought 
into  our  room — twenty-nine  now  in  all.    Some  Yankee   - 
sutlers  were  brought  in  lately.     They  are  very  bitter 
in  denouncing  the  Federal  Government. 

It  is  rumored  an  attempt  will  be  made  by  some  of 
the  prisoners  to  escape.  The  matter  was  talked  over 
to-day  in  our  room.  Many  plans  were  suggested  as 
being  feasible  and  attended  with  but  little  danger. 
One  said  it  would  be  an  easy  matter,  w7hen  we  were 
out  in  the  yard,  and  the  wagon  came  in  to  deliver 
bread,  for  the  prisoners  to  make  a  rush  for  the  gate, 
and  before  the  gate  could  be  closed  quite  a  number 
could  get  out. 

"But  the  guards  would  fire  on  us,  and  some  of  us 
would  be  killed,"  said  Fax  Minor. 

"Of  course,"  was  the  reply,  "somebody  might  be 
shot — perhaps  killed.  We  must  expect  that.  But 
many  would  get  away  safely." 


64  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

"Yes,  that  is  all  true,"  returned  Fax;  "but  just 
suppose  there  was  only  one  killed,  and  that  one  was 
poor  Fax — what  then?" 

A  noticeable  character  in  the  prison  yard  at  one  time 
during  the  half  hour  allowed  for  recreation  was  a 
Hebrew  named  Fleggenheimer.  He  was  captured 
while  attempting  to  run  the  blockade  on  the  Potomac, 
and  his  goods  confiscated.  Like  Rachel  of  old,  he 
would  not  be  comforted,  but  was  continually  bewailing 
his  loss.  One  of  my  room-mates,  John  Pentz,  of  Bal 
timore,  finding  that  sympathy  only  added  fuel  to  the 
fire  of  his  distress,  sought  to  divert  his  thoughts  into 
another  channel  by  bantering  him. 

"Oh,  Sledgehammer  "  (as  Pentz  was  accustomed  to 
call  him),  "don't  worry;  you'll  soon  be  out  of  this 
place,  and  it  won't  take  you  long  to  make  up  what  you 
lost." 

"Ah,  but,  Mr.  Benty,  I  lose  more  ash  five  t'o'isand 
dollars." 

"Well,  you  can  get  that  back  in  the  profit  of  one 
good  trip." 

"And  den  it  vash  all  borrowed  monish." 

"Then  that  is  so  much  the  better — you  won't  lose 
anything." 

"Oh,  you  don't  know  all,  Mr.  Benty.  My  poor 
wife,  she  yust  git  a  leetle  baby,  unt  ven  she  hear  dis 
it  makes  her  right  down  stone  dead." 

From  conversations  had  with  Western  prisoners, 
I  judge  there  is  more  intense  bitterness  of  feeling  in 
the  West,  particularly  in  Missouri  and  Kentucky,  than 
in  the  Eastern  border  section.  One  old  Missourian 
in  our  room  said  he  was  from  Schuyler  County,  and 
had  been  in  prison  since  the  i2th  of  August.  That 


PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL  65 

one  of  the  prisoners  in  the  Court  House,  named  Ford, 
was  shot  with  a  pistol  by  one  of  the  guards. 

He  said  the  Union  men  were  called  "Sheepskins," 
and  they  perpetrated  the  most  villainous  outrages. 
That  on  one  occasion  a  party  arrested  a  man,  and 
while  carrying  him  through  the  village,  some  little 
boys  playing  marbles,  cried  out:  "Here  comes  the 
militia,"  and  ran  away.  One  of  the  "Sheepskins" 
fired  into  the  crowd  of  children  and  killed  a  boy  twelve 
years  old.  They  picked  the  child  up,  carried  him  to  his 
home,  and  threw  him  in  the  door  to  his  mother,  saying : 
"Here  is  one  we've  kept  from  growing  up  to  be  a 
damned  Secesh." 

Another  man  told  me  he  was  in  prison  with  some  of 
the  men  who  were  executed  by  General  McNeil.  He 
said  he  was  playing  cards  with  Wade  when  he  was 
called  out.  Wade  put  down  his  cards,  saying  he  knew 
he  was  called  out  to  be  killed.  There  was  among  the 
doomed  men  one  old  man  with  a  large  and  helpless 
family.  A  brave  young  hero  volunteered  to  take  the 
the  old  man's  place,  saying  he  had  none  to  leave  be 
hind  to  regret  him  or  feel  the  loss.  He  was  accepted. 
His  savage  executioners,  dumb  to  this  noble  exhibition 
of  heroism  and  self-sacrifice,  sent  him  off  on  his  coffin 
with  the  others. 

I  afterward  learned  the  facts  concerning  this  brutal 
tragedy : 

In  the  Fall  of  1862,  the  Confederates,  under  Colonel 
James  Porter,  captured  the  town  of  Palmyra,  and  dur 
ing  their  occupancy  a  man  named  Andrew  Allsman, 
an  ex-soldier  of  the  Third  Missouri  Cavalry  (said  to 
have  been  a  spy),  disappeared. 

After   the    Confederates    evacuated    the   town    and 


66  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

McNeil  returned,  he  learned  of  the  abduction  of  Alls- 
man,  and  thereupon  issued  a  notice,  that  unless 
Allsman  was  returned  within  ten  days  he  would  re 
taliate  upon  the  Rebel  prisoners  then  in  his  hands.  At 
the  expiration  of  the  ten  days,  ten  prisoners  then  in 
his  custody:  Willis  Baker,  Thomas  Humston, 
Morgan  Bixler,  and  John  Y.  McPheeters,  of  Lewis 
County ;  Herbert  Hutson,  John  M.  Wade  and  Marion 
Lair,  of  Rails  County ;  Captain  Thomas  A  Sidner, 
Monroe  County ;  Eleazer  Lake,  Scotland  County,  and 
Hiram  Smith,  Knox  County,  wyere  selected — ten  men, 
to  give  up  their  lives  for  one  man  missing. 

Three  Government  wagons  drove  to  the  jail,  with 
ten  rough  board  coffins.  The  condemned  men  were 
taken  from  the  prison,  seated  upon  their  coffins  in  the 
wagons,  and  driven  to  the  place  of  execution — the 
Fair  Ground.  There  the  coffins  were  arranged  in  a 
row,  six  or  eight  feet  apart.  Thirty  soldiers  of  the 
Second  Missouri  State  Militia  were  drawn  up  in  line 
facing  the  coffins.  The  ten  men  knelt  upon  the  grass 
between  the  coffins.  A  prayer  was  offered  up  by  Rev. 
R.  M.  Rhoades,  and  the  prisoners  each  took  his  seat 
upon  the  foot  of  his  coffin.  Two  accepted  bandages ; 
the  others  refused.  The  officer  in  command  then 
stepped  forward  and  gave  the  command:  "Ready- 
aim — fire !"  Two  of  the  prisoners  fell  backward  upon 
their  coffins,  dead.  Captain  Sidner  sprang  forward 
and  fell  with  his  face  to  the  soldiers,  and  died  im 
mediately.  He  had  requested  the  soldiers  to  aim  at  his 
heart.  The  other  seven  were  not  killed,  and  the  re 
serves  were  called  and  put  an  end  to  their  lives  with 
their  revolvers. 

Among  the  Camp  Chase  prisoners  are  three  little 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  67 

boys,  their  ages  ranging  from  ten  to  fourteen.  I  saw 
one  in  the  yard  to-day.  The  men  called  him  "John 
Morgan's  Orderly."  He  was  dressed  in  gray  and 
seemed  a  shrewd,  bright  little  fellow.  He  told  me  he 
was  fourteen  years  of  age.  That  he  had  been  with 
John  Morgan,  and  was  captured  while  carrying  a 
letter  from  General  John  C.  Breckenridge  to  General 
John  Morgan.  He  said  he  had  been  in  prison  thirteen 
months. 

The  second  boy  was  held  on  charges  similar  to  the 
one  first  mentioned.  The  third,  and  youngest,  says  he 
does  not  know7  why  he  was  arrested,  or  why  he  was 
brought  here. 

Friday,  Feb.  27. — Boyd  Barrett  and  others,  ill  with 
smallpox,  were  removed  in  ambulances  to-day. 

Messrs.  Ayre,  Carr,  and  Brawner  were  called  to-day 
and  the  oath  offered  them.  They  refused  to  take  it 
and  were  marked  for  exchange. 

It  is  said  one  of  the  prison  officials  was  going  around 
the  yard  last  night,  dressed  in  Confederate  uniform, 
endeavoring,  by  offering  bribes,  to  test  the  fidelity  of 
the  guards. 

Saturday,  Feb.  28. — I  slept  but  little  last  night. 
Some  prisoners  wrho  were  put  in  the  room  were  very 
noisy,  and  I  was  cold.  I  had  one  sheet  and  one 
blanket,  and  I  had  to  take  my  overcoat  for  a  covering. 
When  I  got  warmed  up,  the  mice  became  lively  and 
commenced  a  game  of  tag.  They  appear  to  think  it 
fine  fun  chasing  one  another  under  the  board  pillow 
at  my  head,  and  then  running  over  my  bunk  and  crawl 
ing  about  through  the  folds  of  my  blanket.  When  I 
shake  them  off  they  scamper  away,  only  to  return  when  / 
they  see  I  am  quiet  again. 


68  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

There  is  also  a  large  force  of  bedbugs  in  the  room, 
and  they  send  out  detachments  and  raiding  parties  to 
all  the  different  bunks,  and  draw  their  full  supply  of 
rations  from  the  occupants.  Sometimes  we  get 
together  and  have  a  round-up,  and  a  promiscuous 
slaughter,  regardless  of  age  or  sex.  But  they  must  re 
cruit  from  the  other  side,  like  the  Yankee  army,  as 
we  can  notice  no  diminution  in  the  forces.  I  suppose, 
like  the  poor,  we  will  always  have  them  with  us. 

Owing  to  the  dirty  and  overcrowded  condition  of  the 
building,  we  have  another  pest  in  the  shape  of  an  in 
sect,  smaller  than  the  one  just  mentioned,  but  equally 
bloodthirsty,  who  makes  his  presence  felt,  and  has 
reduced  us  to  such  a  condition  that  we  have  to  scratch 
for  a  living. 

This  morning,  while  standing  near  the  window,  I 
saw  two  little  boys,  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age,  stand 
ing  on  the  street  corner,  opposite  the  prison.  They 
were  looking  down  the  street  and  did  not  hear  the 
guard  calling  to  them  to  leave  the  corner.  Presently 
a  corporal  was  sent  over  and  the  children,  now  in  the 
act  of  moving  on,  were  arrested  and  brought  into  the 
prison.  I  stood  at  the  \vindow  for  some  time,  but  I 
did  not  see  them  pass  out. 

Six  prisoners  brought  into  our  room  to-day.    Thirty- 

Xseven  now  in  the  room,  with  bunks  for  twenty-one ; 

s  the  balance  sleep  on  the  floor  as  best  they  can.     At 

night  the  floor  is  completely  taken  up  by  sleeping  men, 

so  we  can  only  walk  the  floor  by  stepping  over  them. 

They    roll    themselves    in    their   blankets    and    go    to 

sleep. 

Frank  Thornton  released  on  parole  to-day.  John 
Pentz  went  out  at  night. 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  69 

A  man  in  Room  15  threw  *a  piece  of  bread  out  of 
the  window  into  the  street.  In  consequence  of  this, 
all  the  inmates  of  the  room,  twenty-eight  in  number, 
were  confined  to  the  room  during  the  half-hour 
usually  allowed  for  recreation,  and  put  on  bread 
and  water  diet — two  pieces  of  bread  being  allowed 
them  daily. 

Monday,  March  2. — Commission  in  session  to-day. 

The  surgeon  came  in  and  made  inquiries  as  to  the 
number  in  our  room,  etc.  Thirty-nine  in  room — beds 
for  twenty-one.  Call  for  all  who  desire  to  be  vacci 
nated  to  come  into  the  hospital. 

In  the  dull  uniformity  of  prison  life  every  trifling 
event  which  breaks  the  monotony  and  diverts  the  at 
tention,  for  the  time,  from  the  unpleasant  reality  of 
our  situation  is  seized  upon  and  becomes  a  subject  of 
conversation.  To-day  a  drove  of  mules  was  passing 
the  prison  on  their  way  to  some  of  the  camps  or 
corrals,  and  this  brought  out  a  number  of  stories  il 
lustrating  peculiar  traits  or  features  of  that  useful 
and  much-abused  creature — the  mule. 

"When  the  Confederate  army  \vas  encamped  at 
Manassas,"  said  Bennett,  "after  the  battle  of  Bull 
Run,  the  mules,  being  fastened  to  the  wagons  by  their 
halters,  after  eating  their  supply  of  provender,  would 
start  in,  biting  and  chewing  the  feed-boxes  and  wagon 
bodies.  They  were  not  satisfied  with  the  quantity  of 
long-feed  that  was  dealt  out  to  them  and  sought  to 
make  good  the  deficiency  by  chewing  up  the  wagons. 
To  prevent  the  total  demolition  of  wagons,  details 
of  men  were  sent  out  daily  to  cut  and  bring  in  loads 
of  hoop-poles  for  belly-timber,  as  Bennett  termed  it. 
These  were  spread  out  before  the  mules  who  no  doubt 


7O  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

found  the  wood  in  its  crude  state  as  appetizing  as  when 
fashioned  into  wagons  or  feed-boxes." 

"An  old  friend  of  mine,  Dr.  Green,"  said  John  Carr, 
"was  at  one  time  induced  to  purchase  a  lot  of  mules. 
They  were  sold  at  a  sacrifice,  and  knowing  there  was 
a  constant  demand  for  mules  in  army  circles,  he  flat 
tered  himself  that  he  had  been  cut  out  for  a  sharp 
trader,  but  had  always  before  that  time  missed  his 
opportunity;  that  he  had  made  a  good  investment, 
and  now  having  the  long-delayed  opportunity,  he 
would  surely  get  all  there  was  in  it.  So  when  he  had 
paid  his  money  he  patted  himself  on  the  back — figura 
tively — in  a  patronizing  manner  and  turned  a  round 
dozen  well-conditioned  mules  into  his  pasture. 

"In  this  field  where  he  had  put  the  mules  his  riding- 
horse  was  accustomed  to  graze.  A  close  intimacy 
sprang  up  between  the  mules  and  the  horse.  On 
Sunday,  when  Dr.  Green  brought  up  his  horse  in  order 
to  attend  service  at  the  village  church,  he  noticed  a 
commotion  among  the  mules,  but  paid  no  further  at 
tention  to  them. 

"While  riding  to  church  with  his  wife,  however,  he 
heard  a  noise  on  the  road  behind  them,  a  tramping  of 
hoofs,  with  a  nickering  and  braying.  Soon  the  mules 
came  in  sight,  frisking  about  and  apparently  delighted 
to  overtake  their  newly-found  friend  and  comrade, 
the  horse.  They  refused  to  be  sent  back,  and  the 
Doctor  and  his  wife  rode  into  town  to  church  at  the 
head  of  a  drove  of  mules." 

Tuesday,  March  3. — Last  night  about  midnight  I 
was  awakened  by  a  noise  and  great  commotion  in  the 
building.  A  man  in  the  adjoining  room  cried  out 
lustily,  "Fire!  Fire!"  Then  there  was  a  knocking 


PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL  7! 

at  the  doors.  The  flames  were  breaking  out  through  a 
board  partition  which  cuts  off  a  portion  of  our  room, 
making  an  entry  to  the  adjoining  room.  The  fire  had 
not  gained  much  headway,  however,  and  a  little  water 
soon  extinguished  it.  For  a  time  there  was  great 
confusion  and  excitement.  The  guard  at  the  door, 
as  soon  as  he  was  aware  of  the  fact,  cried  out 
"Corporal  of  the  guard,  Post  No.  5 — Fire!"  Then  the 
word  was  passed  from  sentinel  to  sentinel,  until  it 
rang  through  the  building.  Men  were  jumping  out 
of  their  bunks,  hastily  putting  on  their  clothes,  some 
cursing,  calling  for  things  they  were  unable  to  find — • 
"Where's  my  pants?"  "Where's  my  boots?"  In  the 
confusion  one  man  would  grab  up  an  article  belonging 
to  another — often  a  misfit.  I  lay  quietly  in  my  bunk 
for  a  while.  I  felt  there  could  be  little  danger  from 
fire  occurring  in  the  rooms  occupied  by  either  the 
prisoners  or  guards ;  for  if  by  any  mischance  a  fire 
should  break  out,  it  would  soon  be  discovered  and 
quickly  extinguished.  Or,  if  in  the  outhouse  or  kitchen, 
they,  being  small  buildings,  the  fire  could  be  put  out 
before  it  communicated  to  the  main  building — the 
prison  itself. 

At  the  time  of  the  greatest  excitement  one  man  said : 
''Look  out  of  the  window  and  see  the  light.  The  build 
ing  is  on  fire."  When  this  light  was  found  to  proceed 
from  the  rising  moon,  it  had  a  quieting  effect  on  the 
panic.  A  sergeant  came  in  with  a  light  and  searched 
around  to  find  out  how  the  fire  originated.  After 
this  a  lieutenant  with  a  few  privates  came  in  under 
arms,  and  examined  thoroughly  and  questioned,  but 
no  one  appeared  to  know  how  it  started.  If  the  fire 
had  progressed  to  any  great  extent  before  discovery, 


72  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

no  doubt  many  of  the  prisoners  would  have  escaped 
as  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  the  guards  to 
have  kept  in  check  the  large  number  of  prisoners  now 
in  the  building. 

Wednesday,  March  4. — Congress  adjourned  to-day. 
From  the  prison  window  we  saw  the  flag  lowered. 

At  night  Superintendent  Wood  came  to  the  door  and 
called  me  out  of  the  room.  He  walked  over  and  sat 
at  the  foot  of  the  stairs  in  the  big  hall  leading  to  the 
floor  above,  and  told  me  to  sit  down  beside  him.  He 
asked  me  where  I  belonged.  I  said: 

"I  am  a  citizen  of  Washington.     This  is  my  home." 

"What  were  you  doing  South?"  asked  Wood. 

"Working  at  my  business." 

"Where  did  you  work?" 

"At  Ritchie  &  Dunnavant's." 

"What  kind  of  work  was  done  there?" 

"They  did  the  State  printing  and  a  portion  of  the 
Government  work." 

"When  did  you  go  South?" 

"Just  before  the  commencement  of  hostilities." 

"How  did  you  get  back?" 

"I  came  across  the  Potomac  River." 

"You  didn't  bring  any  letters,  or  anything  of  that 
kind?" 

"No ;  I  brought  nothing  but  my  wife  and  children." 

"Are  you  willing  to  take  an  oath  to  support  the 
Government  ?" 

"No,  sir." 

"Then  we  will  have  to  send  you  back  South." 

I  said,  "Mr.  Wood,  I  am  in  your  hands,  a  prisoner, 
and  powerless  to  resist.  I  am  obliged  to  submit  to 
whatever  disposition  you  may  make  of  me." 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  73 

"A  couple  of  gentlemen  called  to  see  me  about  you," 
said  Air.  Wood,  "and  I  am  anxious  to  do  all  I  can  for 
you.  You  know  that  this  city  is  in  a  special  manner 
under  the  care  and  jurisdiction  of  the  President  and 
Congress,  and  if  you  are  a  citizen  of  this  place  you 
ought  to  submit  to  the  law." 

''But,  Air.  Wood,"  said  I,  "there  is  no  law  to  compel 
me  to  take  this  oath." 

"You  violated  the  law  when  you  crossed  the 
Potomac." 

"In  what  manner?" 

"In  running  the  blockade." 

"This  city  is  my  home.  I  was  South  with  my  family. 
How  could  I  get  home  with  them  without  crossing 
the  Potomac.  Wrhat  law  did  I  violate?" 

"I  have  no  time  to  spare,"  said  Mr.  Wood,  as  he 
arose  and  walked  away,  and  I  went  back  to  my 
room. 

One  more  prisoner  brought  into  our  room — thirty- 
seven  now  in. 

Thursday,  March  5. — Boyd  Barrett  returned.  He 
had  a  slight  attack  of  varioloid.  Haskins,  of  South 
Carolina,  who  was  taken  away  with  him,  died  of 
smallpox.  Another  of  the  party  is  in  a  fair  way  of 
recovery. 

At  night  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  Union  soldiers 
were  brought  in ;  mostly  for  desertion  and  insubor 
dination.  They  are  very  bitter  in  their  denunciation 
of  the  Government.  They  seem  to  care  but  little  for 
the  guards,  and  do  pretty  much  as  they  please. 
Whether  from  fear  or  sympathy,  the  guards  appear 
indifferent  to  their  words  or  behavior.  Some  of  the 
soldiers  say  they  "enlisted  to  fight  for  the  Union  and 


74  PRISON    LIFE   IN   THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

not  for  the  nigger."  One  said,  "If  they  bring  up  all 
the  men  who  are  dissatisfied,  the  Government  will 
have  to  build  more  prisons." 

Friday,  March  6. — My  wife  came  to  see  me.  A 
corporal  came  up  and  escorted  me  down  to  the  recep 
tion  room.  On  entering  the  room  we  were  seated  in 
chairs  placed  opposite  each  other,  and  at  a  distance 
of  about  three  or  four  feet  apart.  Then  a  little  puppy, 
who  acts  as  a  clerk  or  detective,  took  his  seat  in  a  chair 
which  he  drew  up  in  front  of,  and  between  the  chairs 
occupied  by  myself  and  wife;  where  he  could  not  fail 
to  hear  every  word  that  passed.  Then  he  threw  him 
self  back  in  his  chair  with  an  air  of  self-importance,  as 
if  to  say,  "Now  you  can  go  on,  with  my  permission." 
He  interrupted  our  conversation  several  times  by 
volunteering  remarks  altogether  uncalled  for.  My 
wife  said  that  my  mother  and  she  were  worried  about 
me  at  home,  as  they  heard  I  would  be  sent  away. 
Hearing  this  the  fellow  turned  to  a  lieutenant  who  was 
in  the  room,  and  asked  in  a  tone  which  could  be  heard 
across  the  room : 

"Can  you  give  me  the  number  and  names  of  the 
prisoners  in  Rooms  15  and  16,  as  they  are  about  to  be 
sent  away?" 

He  knew  I  was  in  Room  16,  and  thought  to  annoy 
us  by  asking  this  question.  At  the  end  of  fifteen 
minutes  our  conversation  was  abruptly  brought  to  an 
end.  My  wife  was  compelled  to  take  the  oath  before 
she  was  allowed  to  see  me. 

She  told  me  that  my  son  Henry  had  taken  a  change 
for  the  better  within  an  hour  after  I  left  him,  at  the 
expiration  of  my  parole,  and,  knowing  I  would  be 
anxious  to  hear  about  him,  they  sent  me  a  message  to 


PRISON   LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL  75 

that  effect  immediately.  Two  weeks  have  elapsed,  but 
the  message  has  never  been  delivered. 

Young  Thomas  Hurst  was  called  down  to 
see  his  sister  directly  after  my  wife  left,  and  he  told 
me  he  had  the  same  experience  as  we  had,  and  the 
same  remark  was  made  in  the  presence  of  his  sister 
as  that  used  to  annoy  my  wife. 

Three  Federal  soldiers  confined  here  attempted  to 
escape  by  way  of  the  cellar.  Two  succeeded  and  one 
was  caught. 

Sunday,  March  8. — About  1 130  P.M.,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  prisoners  were  brought  in.  They  came  from 
St.  Louis  direct ;  they  are  mostly  soldiers.  They  have 
been  in  prison — some  one,  others  three  and  five 
months.  With  regard  to  the  soldiers  this  is  a  violation 
of  the  cartel  by  the  United  States  authorities.  The 
cartel  of  exchange  provides  that  prisoners  of  war  be 
discharged  on  parole  within  ten  days  after  capture. 
These  expect  to  be  exchanged  about  the  i6th  of  this 
month.  They  were  brought  through  Baltimore,  ar 
riving  in  this  city  last  night,  and  were  crowded  in  a 
place  which,  from  the  description  given,  I  judge  to  be 
the  Central  Guard  House.  They  say  that  they  were 
put  into  rooms  where  they  were  obliged  to  pass  the 
night  in  a  standing  posture,  as  there  was  not  room 
enough  to  lie  down.  After  being  brought  here  they 
were  kept  standing  in  the  damp  yard  (part  of  the  time 
it  was  raining),  until  after  ten  o'clock  at  night,  when 
they  were  removed  to  the  adjoining  houses  (Duff 
Green's  Row),  Carroll  Prison. 

Two  men,  Wesley  Phillips  and  Mitchell,  were  re 
leased  to-day.  They  were  captains  of  schooners  en 
gaged  in  carrying  sutlers'  stores  to  the  Army  of  the 


76  PRISON    LIFE   IN   THE  OLD   CAPITOL 

Potomac.    They  were  Baltimoreans  and  very  fine  men. 

Monday,  March  9. — Fine  day.  After  a  rain  the 
water  drips  from  the  window  cornices  or  eaves  of  the 
roof,  to  the  ground,  sometimes  dropping  over  the 
doorway.  As  some  of  the  guards  were  on  the  door 
step  they  caught  the  drops  and  said  the  men  in  our 
room  were  spitting  out  of  the  window.  A  corporal 
was  sent  to  the  room  and  although  the  men  explained 
the  matter  to  him — said  they  had  not  spit  out,  and 
called  his  attention  to  the  falling  drops,  the  window 
was  shut  down  and  we  are  now  forced  to  remain  in 
this  close  room,  with  no  ventilation  and  the  breaths 
of  thirty-seven  men  poisoning  the  air.  Our  keepers 
appear  to  take  pleasure  in  annoying  and  persecuting 
those  in  their  power,  knowing  they  can  do  so  without 
fear  or  resistance  or  retaliation. 

A  man  who  either  drunk  or  crazy,  passing  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street,  looked  up  at  the  window 
and  seeing  the  crowd  of  prisoners,  laughed  and  waved 
his  hat.  The  officer  standing  at  the  door  said  to  the 
sentry,  "You  had  better  bring  that  fellow  in,  anyhow." 
He  was  accordingly  brought  in. 

There  is  a  man  in  Room  16,  named  Armand.  He 
claims  to  be  from  Louisiana.  He  is  of  very  dark  com 
plexion,  with  black  hair,  short  black  beard  and 
mustache.  He  always  wears  a  blue  uniform,  but  I 
never  saw  him  with  a  hat,  either  indoors  or  out.  He 
is  looked  upon  with  suspicion  and  shunned  by  all. 
By  many  he  is  thought  to  be  a  spy.  If  he  goes  out  of 
the  room  for  any  purpose  whatever,  the  other  prisoners 
exchange  knowing  glances,  and  shake  their  heads  in 
a  manner  indicating  distrust.  Some  do  not  hesitate 
to  say :  "He  is  now  going  clown  to  make  his  report  to 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  77 

Wood."     Every  act  is  observed  and  commented  on. 

Xo  one  cares  to  be  seen  speaking  to  him  or  noticing 
him.  If  he  approaches  one  with  a  pleasing  expression 
on  his  face,  as  if  about  to  speak,  the  person  so  ap 
proached  will  turn  from  him  with  a  look  of  contempt, 
or,  if  addressed,  return  a  half-hearted  reply,  and  with 
a  stealthy  look  around,  as  if  to  see  if  anyone  observed 
him,  shy  off  in  a  direction  opposite  that  in  which 
Armand  appears  to  be  going.  Even  the  Yankee 
prisoners  are  shown  more  consideration,  and  more 
regard  paid  to  their  wants  and  advances.  Men  who 
occasionally  bestow  upon  him  a  look  of  pity — such 
as  they  would  give  to  a  poor  friendless  dog — will 
quickly  turn  away  if  he  shows  a  disposition  to  return 
a  grateful  acknowledgment. 

Although  I  have  no  means  of  ascertaining  whether 
this  treatment  is  deserved,  or  if  he  is  unjustly  sus 
pected,  yet  I  cannot  shut  out  from  my  breast  a  feeling 
of  pity  for  the  poor  fellow. 

At  night,  when  all  others  were  soundly  sleeping  in 
their  bunks,  I  have  often  watched  him  as  he  paced 
the  floor  or  stood  at  the  window,  his  hands  folded  be 
hind  him,  looking  out  into  the  deserted  street,  as  lonely 
and  forsaken  as  himself,  singing,  or  rather  crooning  in 
a  low,  mournful,  but  not  unmusical  tone: 

"When  the  sad,  chilly  winds  of  December, 

Stole  my  flowers,  my  companions,  from  me." 

Tuesday,  March  10. — Eoreo,  Comastro  and  Rinaldi, 
the  three  Italians  I  have  already  mentioned,  were 
called  before  the  Colonel  acting  in  place  of  Parker, 
who  is  sick. 

He  questioned  them  in  regard  to  their  arrest,  etc. 


78  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

He  told  them  there  was  no  reason  for  keeping  them 
and  they  would  be  released  to-morrow.  Eoreo 
promised  to  see  my  wife  and  tell  her  what  I  could  not 
write  her  with  any  certainty  of  its  being  delivered. 
This  I  learned  afterward  he  did  faithfully. 

Old  Air.  Love  was  again  called  before  the  colonel. 
He  had  a  certificate  from  the  prison  surgeon,  stating 
that  he  was  ill.  That  the  confinement  was  injuring 
him,  and  he  should  be  discharged.  The  Colonel  told 
him  his  case  would  have  to  go  before  the  Commission. 

One  of  the  prison  guards  to-day  snapped  his  gun 
twice  at  a  man  passing  on  horseback,  but  it  missed  fire 
each  time. 

Captain  Thomas  Phillips  was  released  this  after 
noon. 

Wednesday,  March  u. — This  morning  as  Keleher 
was  looking  from  the  window,  singing: 

"The  niggers  we  will  sell 

And  the  Yankees  send  to  hell,"  etc., 

a  little  fussy  lieutenant,  named  Thackery,  came 
bristling  up,  saying,  "I'll  send  you  to  hell,"  and  as  if 
intending  to  carry  out  his  threat  literally,  rushed  at 
Keleher  with  his  arm  outstretched  to  push  or  grasp 
him,  but  just  before  the  hand  touched  him,  Keleher 
stepped  to  one  side  and  Thackery,  unable  to  check  or 
recover  himself,  went  spinning  halfway  across  the 
room.  The  men,  none  of  whom  have  any  love  or  good 
feeling  for  Thackery,  laughed  at  his  discomfiture,  and 
this  so  irritated  the  crestfallen  lieutenant  that  he  had 
the  guards  take  Keleher  off  to  the  guard  house. 

James  Taylor  and  James  Stant  were  called  and  took 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL  79 

the  oath  not  to  attempt  to  run  the  blockade  again. 
Aaron  Lewis  released. 

Thursday,  March  12. — Three  more  prisoners 
brought  into  our  room  last  night.  One  belonged  to 
Stuart's  Horse  Artillery ;  the  other  two  were  citizens. 

James  Ewell  released.  Russell  released ;  he  had 
British  protection.  Frank  Thornton,  who  had  been  out 
on  parole,  returned. 

A  man  confined  in  the  guard  house  knocked  down 
a  portion  of  the  partition.  He  was  taken  out  and  tied 
up  by  the  wrists  to  a  tree.  He  broke  the  cords  after 
a  time  and  released  himself.  He  was  then  removed, 
but  I  do  not  know  \vhat  was  done  \vith  him  after. 

Among  my  room-mates  I  have  discovered  an  old 
schoolmate,  Thomas  Holbrook,  of  Baltimore.  He  and 
I  were  schoolboys  together  at  a  school  kept  by  Martin 
J.  Kerney,  in  a  little  one-story  brick  building,  situated 
on  Exeter  Street,  between  Baltimore  and  Fayette,  Bal 
timore  City.  Mr.  Kerney  was  a  graduate  of  Mount 
St.  Mary's  College,  Emmittsburg,  Md.  After  giving 
up  school  teaching  he  entered  into  the  practice  of  law 
and  was  afterward  a  member  of  the  Maryland  State 
Legislature.  He  was  the  author  of  a  number  of  edu 
cational  works,  some  of  which  are  still  used.  Three 
of  the  Booth  brothers — Edwin,  the  celebrated  actor; 
John  Wilkes,  who  shot  Lincoln,  and  Joseph  Adrian 
Booth,  who  afterward  became  a  physician,  and  also 
John  Sleeper  Clarke,  the  comedian,  who  later  on 
married  Asia  Booth,  a  sister  of  the  Booth  brothers, 
were  all  attending  this  school  .it  the  same  time  with  us. 
Holbrook  is  quite  a  valuable  addition  to  our  company. 
He  is  exceedingly  clever  in  handling  playing  cards 
and  often  amuses  us  with  exhibitions  of  tricks,  in  which 


80  PRISON    LIFE   IN   THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

he  displays  remarkable  dexterity.  He  thus  helps  us 
while  away  many  a  tedious  hour.  He  was  at  one  time 
in  the  Navy,  and,  like  all  seafaring  men,  is  handy  about 
the  house.  We  all  are  glad  when  it  is  Tom's  clay  in 
the  kitchen  as  cook  for  the  mess.  He  will  say,  "Well, 
boys,  what  will  it  be  to-day — lobscouse  or  skilligalee?" 

He  will  take  a  ham-bone,  from  which  most  of  the 
meat  has  been  cut,  and  sitting  down  will  patiently 
pick  off  with  a  pocket-knife  every  scrap  of  fat  and 
lean,  and  with  the  addition  of  a  few  potatoes  or  other 
ingredients,  will  serve  up  quite  a  tasty  little  side  dish 
for  our  table. 

An  old  man  who  had  been  confined  here  for  some 
time,  was  released  a  few  days  ago.  He  was  bent  with 
age,  and  very  feeble  and  childish,  so  that  when  here 
he  would  often  get  lost  in  the  building.  After  wan 
dering  about  for  some  time  he  came  back.  He  said 
he  thought  the  war  was  over  when  he  was  sent  off. 
That  he  was  away  from  home ;  84  years  of  age ;  with 
no  place  to  go  and  no  means  of  getting  to  his  home. 
He  begged  to  be  taken  back. 

At  night  a  sergeant  came  into  the  room  with  a  list 
of  names  which  he  called  over ;  my  name  being  among 
the  number.  He  asked  each  one  if  he  wanted  to  go  to 
Richmond.  All  those  who  are  booked  for  Richmond 
are  greatly  elated  at  the  prospect  of  their  release  from 
prison  and  a  trip  to  Dixie.  Whiskey  was  smuggled  in 
and  several  of  the  fortunate  ones  were  quite  lively. 
Very  little  sleep  to-night  for  anyone  here. 

Fitzhugh  Carter,  or  as  he  was  familiarly  called 
"Chew  Carter,"  was  a  sprightly  little  fellow  from 
Fauquier  County,  Virginia.  Brought  up  on  a  farm 
and  enjoying  in  his  early  life  the  companionship  of 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  8 1 

the  little  darkies,  he  had  acquired  much  of  their  quaint 
dialect  and  rollicking  manners.  On  this  night  Chew 
had  by  some  means  got  more  than  a  fair  share  of  the 
smuggled  whiskey. 

When  the  lieutenant  came  in  for  roll-call,  it  was 
the  custom  for  the  prisoners  to  form  in  one  line,  while 
the  lieutenant  with  the  guard  would  stand  at  the 
head,  and  as  each  man's  name  was  called  he  would  step 
out,  turn  and  face  the  line  he  had  just  left.  This  would 
be  repeated  until,  when  all  the  names  were  called,  the 
new  line  would  be  formed  opposite  that  formerly  oc 
cupied  by  the  first  line. 

As  it  was  a  difficult  matter  for  poor  Chew  to  pre 
serve  his  equilibrium,  his  comrades  endeavored  to  keep 
him  steady  on  the  perpendicular  by  bracing  him  on 
either  side.  All  went  well  until  it  came  his  turn  to 
answer.  When  the  officer  called  "Fitzhugh  Carter," 
Chew  stood  erect,  pushed  his  hat  back  from  his  fore 
head  and  snapped  out  "Yer,  sah !"  and  lurched  forward 
to  the  line  opposite.  The  loud  and  jerky  way  he  was 
answered  appeared  to  strike  the  lieutenant,  for  he 
raised  his  head  and  looked  to  where  the  sound  came 
from  and  then  cast  his  eyes  down  again  to  his  roll. 
Just  at  this  moment  Chew,  apparently  satisfied  with 
the  accomplishment  of  his  little  feat,  looked  toward 
the  head  of  the  line  and  observing  the  action  of  the 
lieutenant,  said  "Who  de  hell  keers  foh  yo'  damn  ol' 
roll-call  ?" 

The  lieutenant  heard  the  voice,  but  did  not  catch 
the  words.  He  looked  down  the  line.  The  men  who 
stood  on  either  side  of  Chew  nudged  him  to  keep 
quiet,  and  all  looked  so  innocent  of  any  wrong-doing 
that  the  officer  evidently  disbelieved  his  ears,  if  they 


82  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

carried  a  trace  of  the  actual  words  uttered,  for  he 
proceeded  with  his  roll-call  without  further  interrup 
tion. 

When  the  lieutenant  left  the  room  one  of  his  com 
rades  said: 

"Chew,  where  did  you  get  it  all?" 

"Jis'  had  one  drink,"  replied  Chew. 

'Then  you  must  have  tapped  a  still-house,"  said 
Ed.  O'Brien,  and  he  sung— 

"The  man   that  has   good  whiskey 
And  giveth  his  neighbor  none, 

Sha'n't   have   any   of   my   good   whiskey 
When  his  good  whiskey  is  gone." 

"When— 

"Now,  altogether" — (and  all  took  up  the  refrain)  : 
''When  his  good  whiskey  is  gone." 

There  was  one  little  incident  during  Chew's  sojourn 
in  the  Old  Capitol  which  proved  that  the  course  of  love 
does  run  smoothly  sometimes — even  love  of  whiskey. 
Chew  was  very  thirsty,  and  was  determined  to  quench 
that  thirst.  At  "Sick  Call,"  he  joined  the  throng  who 
wended  their  way  to  the  hospital. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  sick.  I  got  sich  cramps.  Bin  sick  all 
night,"  said  Chew,  as  he  entered  the  hospital,  with  one 
hand  clutching  a  portion  of  his  garments  covering 
the  part  of  his  anatomy  where  cramps  are  supposed  to 
locate,  and  the  other  pressed  against  his  forehead. 

"I'll  give  you  a  dose  of  castor  oil,"  said  the  hospital 
steward. 

"Oh,"  said  Chew,  "I  kaint  take  castoh  oil.  Nevah 
could  take  it." 

"I'll  fix  it  up  so  you  won't  taste  it." 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL  83 

"It's  no  use,  I  know.  You'll  hav'ter  give  me  some- 
thin'  else." 

The  steward  poured  a  little  whiskey  in  the  bottom 
of  a  glass ;  then  poured  in  the  oil,  which  was  quite  stiff, 
and  after  that  put  whiskey  on  top.  Chew  took  the  glass 
and  with  a  quick  toss  gulped  down  the  whiskey  before 
the  oil  had  fairly  started  to  flow,  and  handed  the  glass 
back,  saying:  "Take  it  quick.  I'm  afeerd  I'll  throw 
it  up" — at  the  same  time  making  such  grimaces  that 
one  would  think  he  really  had  swallowed  a  nauseous 
dose. 

"You  haven't  taken  any  of  the  oil,"  said  the  steward. 
"Here;  drink  it  down." 

"Oh,  I  got  a  big  mouthful,  an'  I'm  po\v'ful  sick." 

"I'll  put  some  more  whiskey  on  top.  Drink  it  quick 
and  you  won't  taste  it." 

"I  did  drink  it  jis'  ez  quick  ez  I  could.  I'll  try,  but 
I  know  it  won't  stay  down." 

Taking  the  glass  he  tossed  off  the  whiskey  from  the 
top,  as  before,  and  leaving  the  oil.  The  steward,  now 
seeing  through  the  trick,  said :  "You  can  take  that 
now  as  it  is,  for  I  will  not  put  another  drop  of  whiskey 
in  it." 

"Well,"  said  Chew,  as  he  moved  toward  the  door, 
"I  dun  told  ye  I  couldn't  take  castoh  oil.  I  nevah  could 
take  it.  I  drink't  it  quick  ez  I  could.  I  kin  take 
mos'  ennything  better'n  castoh  oil."  He  came  back 
to  his  room  where  he  told  of  the  success  of  his  scheme 
to  his  laughing  companions. 

Saturday,  March  14. — Last  night  we  got  the  daily 
papers — the  first  for  several  days.  In  the  kitchen  the 
cooks  were  at  work  nearly  all  night  to  have  the 
rations  ready  for  to-day.  It  was  reported  that  the 


84  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

prisoners  would  leave  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing.  All  day  the  streets  were  filled  with  people  eager 
for  a  glance  at  the  Rebels.  About  2  P.M.,  orders  came 
to  pack  up,  and  about  4  P.M.,  they  left  the  prison. 
Seventeen  were  taken  from  Room  16.  Guards  were 
placed  in  line  along  the  sidewalks  and  in  the  Capitol 
grounds  to  keep  back  the  crowd  who  had  assembled  to 
witness  the  departure.  There  were  ambulances  for  the 
old,  infirm,  sick  and  wounded.  The  soldiers  expected 
to  leave  to-day,  but  were  left  behind,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  a  few  of  the  wounded. 

Sunday,  March  15. — It  seems  lonely  to-day  on  ac 
count  of  the  change — we  miss  so  many  familiar  faces. 
It  seems  like  a  break  in  the  family.  Six  more  prisoners 
were  put  in  our  room,  making  twenty-one  in  all. 
There  are  two  cases  of  smallpox  in  the  next  room. 

Monday,  March  16. — This  morning  the  prisoners 
from  Room  14,  were  crowded  into  our  room  while 
that  room  was  being  cleaned  and  whitewashed.  There 
are  twenty-one  of  them — some  are  broken  out  with 
smallpox. 

Tuesday,  March  17. — The  men  having  smallpox, 
who  were  put  in  our  room  yesterday  from  Room 
14  were  to-day  put  in  Room  18.  If  they  are  changed 
around  a  few  more  times  the  disease  will  be  pretty 
well  spread. 

Two  men,  father  and  son,  just  brought  in,  were 
captured  in  a  raid  on  the  Potomac  River.  They  are 
citizens.  Their  families  are  left  without  support  or 
protection.  The  wife  of  one  about  being  confined. 
Both  men  agreed  to  take  the  oath,  but  were  told  that  as 
they  would  do  so  only  on  account  of  their  situation 
they  would  not  be  released. 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL  85 

Volney  Purcell,  of  Loudoun  County,  Virginia,  was 
called  to-day.  Colonel  Uuell  asked  him  what  charges 
were  against  him.  He  replied  he  did  not  know.  Purcell 
then  asked  Colonel  Buell  if  he  knew.  Buell  said  he  did 
not ;  there  was  nothing  that  he  could  see.  Purcell 
then  said:  "Can  you  not  release  me,  then?"  "No," 
said  Buell,  "I  cannot."  Purcell  said  he  thought  it 
very  strange  that  he  should  be  brought  from  his  home 
and  kept  here  without  any  charge.  Buell  said  it  was 
strange,  but  his  case  would  have  to  go  before  the  Com 
mission. 

The  prison  yard  is  now  in  a  very  filthy  condition. 
In  rainy  weather  a  great  part  of  the  space  allowed  the 
prisoners  for  exercise  is  covered  with  mud. 

Wednesday,  March  18. — I  was  called  to-day  by 
Colonel  Buell.  After  questioning  me  regarding  my 
arrest  and  imprisonment,  he  asked  if  I  would  take  the 
oath. 

"Xo,  sir,"  said  I. 

"What,"  said  he,  "not  willing  to  take  the  oath.  I 
will  acknowledge  that  my  sympathies  were  enlisted 
in  your  behalf,  but  your  refusal  to  take  the  oath 
puts  an  entirely  different  face  on  the  matter.  Had 
you  told  me  that  at  first  it  might  have  saved  this 
examination.  In  fact,  you  need  not  have  left  your 
room." 

"What  charges  are  against  me?"  I  asked.  "If  there 
are  any,  let  me  have  a  fair  trial,  as  is  my  right,  and  if 
I  am  found  guilty  I  am  willing  to  suffer  punishment, 
but  if  there  are  none  you  have  no  right  to  keep  me 
here." 

"You  have  a  very  exalted  opinion  of  the  leniency  of 
this  Government,  to  think  that  after  having  been  South 


86  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 

you  could  be  permitted  to  come  back  here  and  live 
without  taking  the  oath." 

"No,  sir,"  said  I,  "I  have  no  reason  to  have  a  very 
exalted  opinion  of  the  leniency  of  this  Government. 
I  had  a  right  to  go  where  I  pleased  before  the  blockade 
was  established,  and  afterward  had  a  right  to  come 
to  my  home  where  I  belonged.  I  would  not  take  that 
oath  if  it  were  offered  to  me  at  the  South,  and  I  do 
not  see  how  any  man  can  honestly  take  it  with  the 
intention  of  keeping  it — to  'support,  protect  and  defend 
a  government  or  administration,  now  and  hereafter, 
under  any  and  all  circumstances.'  How  do  I  know 
what  may  be  done  hereafter?" 

"I  have  taken  that  oath,"  said  Colonel  Buell. 

'That  may  be,"  said  I ;  "your  views  and  mine  differ 
on  the  subject  of  right  and  wrong." 

"Go  back  to  your  room,  sir,"  said  Buell,  and  that 
terminated  the  interview. 

Thursday,  March  19. — An  officer  came  up  to-day 
with  a  paper  and  called  over  the  names  of  seven  in  our 
room  (Room  16) — Holbrook,  Barnes,  Littlepage, 
Keleher,  Hoyle,  Simmons  and  myself,  and  at  night  we 
were  removed  to  Room  10.  With  the  three  prisoners 
already  in  the  room  there  are  ten  of  us  now  in  a  small 
room  with  two  bunks  and  three  small  beds.  Room  10 
is  on  the  north  side  of  the  building,  third  story,  first 
window  from  the  corner  on  First  Street. 

Friday,  March  20. — The  prisoners  brought  in  num 
bered  twenty-five  instead  of  seventy-five  as  reported 
in  the  daily  papers,  where  it  is  stated  that  they  were 
taken  in  a  fight  writh  Stuart's  Cavalry,  and  that  nothing 
but  the  saber  was  used.  The  prisoners  say  the 
Federals  had  artillery  and  used  it. 


PRISON    LIFE    IX    THE   OLD   CAPITOL  8/ 

Sunday,  March  22. — Two  elderly  ladies,  with  a  small 
child,  were  brought  in  from  the  street  for  saluting 
prisoners. 

The  prison  officials  are  taking  the  names  of  soldiers 
to-day  preparatory  to  exchange. 

Monday,  March  23. — It  is  said  that  the  private 
soldiers  will  be  sent  off  to-morrow.  The  officers  will 
not  go. 

One  of  the  prison  guards,  named  Highland,  who 
has  always  acted  very  kindly  toward  the  prisoners 
while  on  post,  and  has  made  many  friends  among 
them,  told  me  that  two  young  ladies  have  been  brought 
in  and  are  now  confined  in  Duff  Green's  Row  (Carroll 
Prison).  He  does  not  know  who  they  are  or  what 
charges  are  against  them.  I  understand  a  number 
of  citizens  from  the  neighborhood  of  Fairfax  Court 
House  have  been  arrested  and  brought  in  since 
Mosby's  raid  and  capture  of  General  Stoughton,  and 
these  ladies  may  be  of  that  number.* 

Tuesday,  March  24. — I  have  been  suffering  from 
severe  cold  for  several  days.  Our  room  is  small,  close 
and  ill-ventilated,  and  here  we  are  kept  penned  up, 
with  the  exception  of  the  time  we  are  allowed  out  at 
meal  times.  Then  we  are  out  in  a  damp  yard,  which 
is  so  crowded  w^hen  there  is  a  large  number  of 
prisoners  here  (as  at  the  present  time,)  that  there 
is  little  room  for  comfortable  exercise.  In  this  yard 
we  stand  for  about  a  half  hour,  consequently  nearly 
all  of  us  are  troubled  with  colds. 

The  prisoners  booked  for  exchange  are  here  yet,  and 
it  is  hard  to  say  when  they  will  leave.  It  is  reported 

*  See  page  115. 


88  PRISON    LIFE    IX    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 

that  a  number  of  prisoners  are  expected  from  Camp 
Chase  or  some  other  place,  and  that  is  a  reason  given 
for  the  delay. 

Wednesday,  March  25. — At  night,  a  short  time  be 
fore  roll-call,  the  clerk  came  up  and  inquired  if  all  in 
the  room  were  "State"  prisoners.  Receiving  an  affirm 
ative  reply,  he  asked  who  wanted  to  go  to  Dixie. 
Simmons,  Barnes  and  myself  answered  "Here." 


OFF  FOR  DIXIE 

Thursday,  March  26. — Could  not  sleep  last  night. 
Got  up  about  twelve  or  one  o'clock,  took  a  smoke  and 
then  lay  down  until  near  daylight.  I  then  got  up  and 
went  down  to  the  prison  yard.  I  understand  a  batch 
of  prisoners  were  brought  in  about  eleven  o'clock  last 
night.  I  heard  a  great  tramping  of  feet  at  that  time. 

At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  all  who  expected 
to  go  to  Richmond  were  called  down  in  the  yard  and 
the  roll  called  by  Superintendent  Wood.  When  he 
came  to  my  name  he  asked  where  I  was  taken. 

I  said  "Here,  in  Washington." 

"What  were  you  doing?" 

"At  the  store,  attending  to  my  business." 

"Stand  back.     You  can't  go." 

I  went  back  to  my  room,  giving  up  the  idea  of  get 
ting  away  then.  Some  things  I  had  sent  for  had  not 
arrived,  so  I  was  disappointed  in  more  than  one  re 
spect,  and  was  about  settling  myself  down,  when 
Adamson  called  out  to  me — "Get  your  things  and 
come  on."  I  hurried  down,  and  when  I  passed  out 
the  prisoners  were  in  front  of  Duff  Green's  Row.  Lit- 
tlepage,  Keleher,  Holbrook  and  Hoyle,  poor  fellows, 
looked  lonely  enough  when  we  left  them. 

After  receiving  the  prisoners  from  Carroll  Prison, 
the  cavalcade  moved  on  past  the  Capitol  and  through 
the  streets,  to  the  foot  of  Sixth  Street,  where  a  crowd 
of  ladies  were  waiting  and  bade  us  adieu,  waving  their 
handkerchiefs  in  spite  of  all  protests  from  the  guards, 


9O  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

who  at  last  drove  them  from  the  wharf  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet. 

We  were  then  put  on  board  the  flag-of-truce  boat, 
the  steamer  State  of  Maine,  and  left  the  city  at  night. 
About  seven  or  eight  o'clock,  bread,  crackers  and 
cheese  were  given  out  to  the  prisoners — some  got  a 
good  share,  while  others  were  served  with  three  soda 
crackers  each.  This  was  the  first  food  given  us  since 
breakfast  in  the  Old  Capitol.  In  the  effort  to  get  the 
prisoners  off  we  failed  to  get  any  dinner,  although  we 
left  the  prison  fully  three  or  four  hours  after  the 
regular  dinner  hour. 

Six  of  us  secured  three  staterooms  by  paying  $i, 
each  for  the  trip.  Here  we  were  very  comfortable, 
with  good  berths,  etc.  Many  who  were  not  so  for 
tunate  had  to  sleep  on  the  floor  or  on  trunks,  boxes, 
or  anything  they  could  find  handy. 

It  was  an  agreeable  change  when  we  were  once  on 
board  the  steamer.  To  be  where  no  guards  with 
bristling  bayonets  were  continually  meeting  you  to  re 
mind  you  that  you  were  a  prisoner.  Where  no  sentinel 
challenged  you  at  every  turn.  With  no  one  calling 
after  you  if  you  made  a  false  move  or  deviated  in  the 
slightest  from  prison  discipline. 

Friday,  March  27. — Awoke  about  eight  or  nine 
o'clock  this  morning — our  boat  was  steaming  down 
the  Potomac  River,  Westmoreland  County,  Virginia, 
on  the  one  side,  and  St.  Mary's  County,  Maryland,  on 
the  other.  Breakfast  was  over,  but  Wright  brought 
me  some  bread  and  sausage.  In  the  rush  for  dinner  I 
had  my  coat-tail  torn  off  and  was  pretty  well  shaken 
up. 

This  afternoon  wre  anchored  off  Fortress  Monroe. 


OFF    FOR   DIXIE  9 I 

At  night  half  a  dozen  prisoners  were  brought  over  to 
the  steamer  from  the  fortress.  They  have  been  at 
the  fort  for  a  week.  They  are  from  the  West — some 
Morgan's  men. 

I  saw  Captain  Darling  making  a  bed  for  himself  on 
a  hard  bench  and  invited  him  to  share  my  stateroom, 
which  he  did.  He  said  he  had  a  very  high  opinion  of 
the  patriotism  of  the  citizens  of  Washington,  par 
ticularly  the  ladies,  and  spoke  with  warmth  of  the 
parting  scene  at  the  wharf,  where  the  Federal  guards 
brought  their  guns  to  a  charge  on  the  ladies  and  drove 
them  off. 

Saturday,  March  28. — Awoke  about  seven  o'clock. 
Still  at  anchor  between  Fortress  Monroe  and  the  Rip 
Raps.  Two  English  war  ships  anchored  off  in  the 
Roads.  Many  of  our  company  are  complaining  of 
seasickness.  I  felt  a  little  dizzy  and  weak  before 
breakfast,  but  went  below  and  got  a  cup  of  coffee,  a 
slice  of  bread  and  a  piece  c{  fat  pork.  After  eating 
this  I  felt  better.  Sea  quite  high  for  some  time.  A 
heavy  rain  storm  came  up  about  ten  o'clock,  with 
thunder  and  lightning.  The  water  then  became  calmer 
but  the  rain  continued. 

At  12:45  the  captain  came  over  from  Fortress 
Monroe  and  we  started  from  the  anchorage  in  the 
midst  of  a  heavy  rain.  The  guard  here  left  us,  good- 
naturedly  bidding  us  good-bye  and  hoping  to  meet  us 
soon  in  more  peaceful  times.  They  were  of  Company 
K,  Third  New  York  Regiment,  and  were  on  the  best  of 
terms  with  us  during  the  trip. 

When  opposite  Newport  News,  saw  the  wrecks  of 
the  United  States  frigates  Cumberland  and  Congress, 
sunk  in  the  fight  with  the  Confederate  ironclad  Vir- 


92  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

ginia  (Merrimac)*  on  the  8th  of  March,  1862.  A 
portion  of  one  mast  only  of  the  Congress  being  visible, 
while  we  could  see  parts  of  three  masts  of  the  Cum 
berland  and  a  part  of  the  bowsprit  above  the  water. 
They  were  but  a  short  distance  from  the  shore,  off 
the  point.  A  little  beyond  we  saw  the  United  States 
steamer  Minnesota  and  two  other  vessels,  ironclads, 
and  a  little  farther  off  the  Monitor  lay  floating  at 
ease. 

Hundreds  of  sea-gulls  hovered  around  our  boat, 
circling  overhead,  occasionally  stopping  in  their  flight 
and  beating  the  air  with  their  wings,  then  floating 
along  like  a  boat  on  smooth  water,  darting  down  now 
and  then,  attracted  by  the  pieces  of  bread  and  scraps 
of  food  thrown  into  the  water  by  the  men  on  board, 
all  the  while  uttering  a  peculiar  cry  resembling  the 
creaking  of  an  old  wagon  wheel  in  need  of  oiling.  A 
man  on  the  lower  deck  threw  a  piece  of  coal  into  the 
flock  which  struck  one  of  the  birds,  apparently  break 
ing  a  wing,  as  it  fell  over  into  the  water,  helpless.  The 
rest  of  the  flock  ceased  following  us  and  gathered 
round  their  wounded  companion,  \vho  lay  on  top  of  the 
water.  They  fluttered  around  him,  chattering  and  seem 
ingly  endeavoring  to  aid  or  save  him.  Soon,  however, 
they  again  gathered  around  us  and  seemed  to  forget 
their  loss  in  their  efforts  to  catch  the  tempting  morsels 
thrown  to  them  from  the  boat. 

How  rudely  cut  off  from  life.  How  soon  forgotten, 
poor  bird.  But  how  like  man  the  conduct  of  these 

*The  Confederate  ironclad  Virginia  (Merrimac}  was 
abandoned  and  blown  up  off  Craney  Island,  Virginia,  on  the 
nth  of  May,  1862,  after  the  evacuation  of  Norfolk  by  the 
Confederate  forces. 


94  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

birds.  A  poor  mortal  is  stricken  down  in  the  midst  of 
his  cares  and  his  enjoyments.  Friends  and  relatives 
cluster  about  him  and  pour  forth  their  lamentations. 
But  how  soon  does  their  grief  wear  off,  and  they  are 
carried  away  in  the  whirl  of  excitement  of  the  giddy, 
thoughtless  world,  and  all  is  forgotten. 

A  guard-boat  hailed  us,  and  the  captain  in  reply 
said  that  we  were  going  to  City  Point  with  five  hun 
dred  Confederate  prisoners,  for  exchange.  "All 
right,"  was  the  answer  from  the  guard-boat.  Two 
hundred  and  forty  prisoners  were  brought  to  the  Old 
Capitol  the  night  before  we  left,  and  we  left  there 
with  four  hundred  and  eighty-eight. 

I  lay  down  and  took  a  nap  in  the  afternoon.  When 
I  awoke  the  rain  had  ceased,  but  the  clouds  hung 
lowering  overhead  and  the  muttering  thunder  was 
sullenly  giving  out  angry  growls. 

We  were  then  in  the  James  River,  and  passing  in 
sight  of  Jamestown,  the  first  settlement  in  Virginia. 
There  are  no  houses  on  the  island.  The  brick  walls 
of  one  of  the  old  houses  and  chimneys  of  two  out 
houses  are  in  sight.  These  were  destroyed  by  the 
Union  troops.  We  could  also  see  the  remains  of  the 
batteries  erected  by  the  Confederates.  An  old  church 
tower  is  all  that  remains  of  a  church  built  in  Colonial 
times. 

A  colored  boy  tame  to  our  stateroom  and  said  if 
we  wished  to  keep  it  we  should  come  down  to  the 
clerk's  office  and  re-engage  it.  Wright  said  he  would 
like  to  keep  it,  but  had  no  money.  I  sent  down  a  bill 
and  paid  for  the  room  for  the  night.  After  sundown 
it  cleared  off  beautifully,  and  the  sky  was  bright  and 
clear.  Our  boat  anchored  in  mid-stream,  with  a  white 


OFF    FOR    DIXIE  95 

flag  at  the  fore  and  the  United  States  flag  flying  at 
the  peak. 

Sunday,  March  29. — When  I  awoke  this  morning 
the  boat  was  steaming  up  the  James  River,  a  little 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Chickahominy  River.  We 
soon  came  to  Westover,  originally  the  residence  of 
Colonel  William  Byrd,  who  was  in  his  day  one  of  the 
most  accomplished  gentlemen  in  the  Colony,  and  West- 
over  was  noted  for  the  magnificence  of  the  buildings, 
the  beauty  of  the  situation  and  the  charms  of  its 
society.  Next  came  Harrison's  Landing,  a  place  made 
memorable  by  the  retreat  of  McClellan's  army  from 
before  Richmond,  after  the  seven  days'  fight.  From 
this  point  it  was  but  a  short  run  to  City  Point,  where 
we  cast  anchor  in  the  stream  opposite  the  landing. 

Here  we  were  gladdened  by  the  sight  of  a  small 
Confederate  flag  waving  from  a  house  on  a  bluff 
opposite,  and  at  the  landing  a  sentinel  in  Confederate 
gray  paced  up  and  down.  A  few  soldiers  appeared  on 
a  hill  near  by,  and  some  distance  above  City  Point  we 
could  see  flags  waving — first  white  and  then  red. 
This  was  a  signal  station.  One  of  our  men  had  been 
in  the  Signal  Service  and  he  explained  its  workings 
to  us.  Captain  John  E.  Mulford,  United  States  Agent 
of  Exchange,  went  ashore  in  a  boat  and  soon  after 
returned  and  said  the  Confederate  authorities  had 
been  notified  of  our  arrival  and  we  would  be  sent 
off  as  soon  as  they  came  down  for  us. 

Last  night  there  were  no  rations  given  out,  and  this 
morning  we  got  nothing  but  a  piece  of  fat  pork  and  a 
slice  of  bread — no  coffee.  Meals  were  served  up  on 
the  boat  at  50  cents  a  head. 

About  4  P.M.    the  anchor  was  hauled  up  and  two 


96 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 


hundred  and  eighty-five  soldiers,  including  those  from 
the  Old  Capitol,  and  a  portion  of  the  soldiers  from 
Johnson's  Island,  were  landed  at  the  wharf.  Cars 
were  in  readiness  to  take  them  to  Petersburg.  They 
went  off  in  high  spirits,  all  apparently  rejoiced  to  find 
themselves  again  free. 


City  Point  is  at  the  confluence  of  the  James  and 
Appomattox  Rivers.  The  railroad  runs  along  the 
shore  and  the  land  rises  abruptly  a  short  distance 
back  from  the  river  bank,  forming  in  many  places 
high  bluffs.  The  wharves,  which  extended  along 
the  whole  front  of  the  town,  have  been  destroyed, 
and  nothing  remains  of  them  but  the  charred 
tops  of  the  piles  which  supported  them.  The 


OFF    FOR   DIXIE  97 

houses  along  the  shore  in  front  of  the  steep  banks,  are 
all  more  or  less  injured  and  many  completely  de 
molished.  Great  holes  are  seen  through  the  sides  and 
roofs,  made  by  shot  and  shell. 

At  night  saw  signal  station  on  James  River  in  full 
operation.  Flags  are  used  by  day  and  lights  at  night. 

Monday,  March  30. — Barnes  asked  Captain  Mulford 
if  citizens,  after  being  exchanged,  could  return  to  their 
homes  within  the  Federal  lines  without  being  subject 
to  arrest.  Captain  Mulford  said  the  same  charge 
which  led  to  their  arrest  in  the  first  instance  could 
be  again  brought  against  them,  and  he  said  he  would 
advise  all  who  were  exchanged  to  keep  outside  of  the 
lines,  unless  they  came  with  Morgan,  Stuart,  or  some 
one  who  could  take  them  back  safely. 

About  one  o'clock  a  train  came  down  from  Peters 
burg,  with  the  Confederate  States  Commissioner  of 
Exchange,  Robert  Ould.  Soon  the  United  States 
steamer  Henry  Burden  came  up  with  a  flag  of  truce, 
and  made  fast  alongside.  She  brought  Colonel  Lud- 
low,  United  States  Commissioner.  About  4:45  we 
were  put  on  the  cars  and  taken  to  Petersburg. 


PAROLE  CAMP 

Arriving  at  Petersburg,  we  were  marched  through 
the  city  to  Parole  Camp,  at  Model  Farm  Barracks. 
Here  we  went  to  headquarters  and  registered  our 
names.  Bennett  took  me  to  his  quarters  and  gave  me 
some  supper — bacon  and  crackers.  On  the  boat  we 
had  nothing  but  bread  and  coffee  toward  the  last,  and 
the  meat  was  quite  a  luxury.  It  was  of  good  quality, 
too. 

Tuesday,  March  31. — When  I  awoke  this  morning 
I  had  to  turn  over  two  or  three  times  to  supple  my 
joints.  The  bunk  I  slept  in  was  hard  boards,  and  our 
covering  for  the  two  was  a  small  shawl  and  one  over 
coat.  It  was  a  cold,  rainy  night  and  my  bed  cold.  Still, 
I  am  satisfied  to  put  up  with  this  lack  of  comfort  to 
L.  be  out  of  prison  and  among  friends  once  more.  I  saw 
James  F.  Kerfoot,  a  room-mate  from  the  Old  Capitol. 
Crowds  of  negroes  flock  around  the  camp  with  pies, 
bread  and  fried  chicken,  etc.  If  you  ask  the  price 
of  anything  they  will  answer — "A  dollar."  Four  pies, 
$i,  and  everything  in  dollar  parcels,  as  though 
that  was  the  lowest  current  value  known  in  ordinary 
traffic. 

Parole  Camp  is  located  at  what  was  formerly  an 
Agricultural  Fair  Ground.  Here  twelve  of  us  are 
quartered  in  one  end  of  an  old  stable.  We  drew  our 
rations — rice,  sugar,  salt,  bacon  and  three  biscuits 
each.  We  put  one  of  these  big  round  biscuits  or 
crackers  in  a  little  tin  plate,  heat  some  water  in  a  skillet 
98 


PAROLE    CAMP 


99 


and  pour  over  the  biscuit,  then  turn  another  tin  plate 
over  it  and  leave  for  a  few  minutes.  On  removing 
the  upper  tin  plate  the  biscuit  will  be  found  to  have 
swelled  out  so  that  it  fills  the  plate.  A  piece  of  fat 
pork  or  bacon  is  now  put  in  the  skillet,  and  when  the 
fat  is  well  fried  out  the  biscuit  is  put  in  the  hot  fat 
and  placed  over  the  fire,  and  to  a  hungry  man  living 


in  the  open  air  it  is  a  first-class  luxury  on  a  bill  of 
fare,  where  the  great  fault  is  that,  like  Sam  Weller's 
love  letter,  it  is  too  short,  and  makes  you  wish  there 
was  more  of  it.  The  supply  of  wood  is  light — rations 
only  five  or  six  sticks. 

Jack  Barnes,  Albert  Wrenn  and  Frank  Fox  went  to 
Petersburg  on  an  old  pass  and  came  back  at  night, 


IOO  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

bringing  with  them  a  canteen  of  whiskey,  for  which 
they  paid  $6.50  per  quart. 

We  have  only  two  bunks  in  our  quarters.  While  we 
take  turns  with  these  the  rest  of  the  party  have  to  sleep 
on  the  floor  or  sit  up  around  the  fire.  The  building  is 
open  to  the  wind,  and  so  cold  that  it  is  impossible  to 
sleep  comfortably. 

At  Parole  Camp  I  see  a  great  many  prisoners  who 
have  been  incarcerated  in  Northern  prisons,  princi 
pally  Camp  Chase,  Camp  Douglas  and  Johnson's 
Island.  They  all  corroborate  the  statements  made  to 
me  by  the  Western  prisoners  with  whom  I  conversed 
while  in  the  Old  Capitol,  regarding  the  treatment  of 
prisoners. 

I  was  speaking  to  one  of  my  companions  who  was 
complaining  of  the  short  rations  and  cold  comforts  at 
Camp  Parole,  when  one  of  the  released  prisoners  who 
had  but  recently  arrived,  said : 

"You  should  not  complain  of  the  fare  and  treatment 
here.  It  is  nothing  compared  to  what  we  had  to  go 
through  on  Johnson's  Island.  Of  course  it  is  hard  liv 
ing  here,  but  we  know  it  can't  be  helped ;  there  was  no 
excuse  for  it  there.  What  we  suffered  there  was  from 
pure  cussedness.  The  Yankees  have  plenty  of  every 
thing  and  could  certainly  give  prisoners  enough  to  eat 
if  they  chose — plain,  cheap  food — enough  to  sustain 
life  in  a  healthy  condition,  but  they  didn't.  Some 
prisoners  would  eat  their  day's  rations  at  one  meal ; 
others  would  make  two  meals  of  it.  Salt  beef,  salt 
pork,  salt  fish  and  bread  was  doled  out  to  us  for 
months;  no  coffee,  tea  or  sugar;  no  vegetables,  except 
very  rarely  an  onion  or  potato.  Consequently,  men 
suffered  with  scurvy  so  that  their  gums  were  bleeding 


PAROLE    CAMP  IOI 

and  sometimes  their  teeth  fell  out.  Old  bones  were 
broken  up  and  boiled,  and  scraps  of  food  were  culled 
out  from  the  hospital  slop-barrels.  Rats  and  cats 
were  eaten  by  the  hungry  men  when  they  could  catch 
them.  For  a  time  prisoners  were  allowed  to  receive 
food  from  friends  outside,  but  an  order  was  published 
denying  them  this  privilege. 

"For  trifling  offences  Confederate  officers  were  com 
pelled  to  stand  on  the  head  of  a  barrel  between  the 
dead-line  and  the  prison  wall,  and  one  officer  while 
standing  in  the  door  of  Block  12  was  killed  by  a 
sentinel.  It  was  not  unusual  for  our  quarters  to  be 
fired  into  at  night. 

"The  place  being  exposed  to  the  cold  wintry  winds 
from  Lake  Erie  we  suffered  from  the  intense  cold, 
and  in  summer  the  only  shade  was  that  afforded  by  the 
buildings  where  the  prisoners  were  housed."* 

Thursday,  April  2. — The  soldiers  here  have  to  en 
dure  greater  hardships  than  we  do.  Last  night  they 
were  coughing  continually  in  the  barracks  adjoining 
the  quarters  I  am  in.  One  poor  fellow,  suffering  with 
neuralgia,  was  walking  up  and  down  the  floor,  groan 
ing  and  acting  like  a  crazy  man.  At  last,  losing  his 
patience  completely,  he  commenced  to  swear.  A  com 
rade,  shocked  at  his  utterances,  said : 


*In  the  official  records,  War  of  the  Rebellion,  reports  of 
surgeons  and  medical  directors  to  the  Commissary-General 
of  Prisoners  verifies  the  statements  made  by  the  Confederate 
prisoners  as  to  the  wanton  shooting  of  prisoners,  the  pre 
valence  of  scurvy  and  great  number  of  deaths  from  same, 
and  to  the  unnecessary  sufferings  of  prisoners  from  causes 
which  could  be  remedied. 


IO2  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

"Bill,  why  don't  you  pray  to  God  to  help  you, 
instead  of  cursing  and  going  on  as  you  are?" 

"Oh,"  replied  Bill,  "I  have  done  that,  but  d n 

it,  He  won't  do  it." 

Captain  Cannon  told  Bowles  yesterday  that  he  had 
written  to  Colonel  French  the  day  before,  to  know 
what  he  should  do  with  the  citizens  brought  here. 
This  should  have  been  provided  for  in  advance  of  their 
arrival.  There  seems  to  be  very  poor  management  on 
the  part  of  the  officials  in  charge. 

Yesterday  we  got  a  ration  of  flour  and  half  a  ration 
of  bacon — quarter  of  a  pound  to  each  man. 

This  afternoon  nine  hundred  men  arrived  from 
Camp  Chase.  There  is  now  a  general  exchange  going 
on,  and  it  is  said  about  six  thousand  prisoners  are  to 
be  brought  on.  A  number  were  sent  off  to-day.  They 
go  to  the  Western  army.  Wind  blowing  very  hard. 
Frank  Fox,  Phil.  Lee,  and  the  two  Mills  sick.  Militia 
relieved  from  guard  duty. 

Barnes  yesterday  appointed  sergeant  of  our  com 
pany.  This  morning  some  of  our  mess  bought  a  bottle 
of  brandy  and  half  a  gallon  of  beans.  I  had  a  good 
drink  of  the  brandy,  and  it  put  a  little  warmth  in  me. 
Beans  for  dinner — the  first  good  hearty  meal  since  we 
left  the  Old  Capitol. 

We  borrowed  a  big  iron  kettle  from  one  of  the 
messes,  and  having  gathered  a  lot  of  wood  and  chips, 
started  a  fire  and  put  our  beans  on  to  cook.  One  of 
the  men  picked  up  a  piece  of  an  old  cracker  box  and 
we  made  a  number  of  rude  paddles  to  use  as  spoons 
in  eating  the  beans.  Tom  Lee  was  walking  around 
seemingly  unconscious  of  what  was  going  on.  "Don't 
say  anything  to  Tom  about  what  we  are  doing,"  said 


PAROLE    CAMP  IO3 

one.  Tom  wandered  off,  and  when  he  returned  the 
beans  were  ready  for  eating. 

"How  are  you  going  to  eat  the  beans — with  your 
fingers?"  asked  Tom  as  he  saw  us  seat  ourselves, 
around  the  pot. 

All  smiled  at  his  innocence,  and  taking  out  their 
paddles  commenced  fishing  for  beans.  Tom  quietly 
took  from  his  pocket  a  clam  shell  he  had  found  in  his 
wanderings  and  fitted  it  into  a  split  stick.  With  this 
primitive  but  all-sufficient  implement  he  proceeded  to 
dip  into  the  pot,  and  while  the  beans  were  slipping  off 
our  rudely  fashioned  paddles  he  could  scoop  up  at  one 
dip  as  much  as  we  could  take  at  a  dozen. 

"You  boys  are  smart,"  said  Tom,  "but  you  couldn't 
fool  your  brother  Tom." 

Saturday,  April  4. — Got  a  pass  to  visit  Petersburg 
in  company  with  Jack  Barnes,  Gus  Williams  and  Tom 
Lee. 

Our  rations  are  dealt  out  in  such  homeopathic  doses 
that  we  are  always  glad  when  we  can  obtain  a  pass 
to  visit  Petersburg  so  as  to  gratify  a  little  of  that 
craving  for  food  which  it  is  impossible  to  satisfy  here. 

Went  through  the  market.  Meat  selling  at  $i  a 
pound ;  turnips,  25  cents  each,  and  other  vegetables  in 
proportion.  Bought  a  hat,  $20;  had  a  drink  of  apple 
brandy,  50  cents.  Walked  up  along  the  Appomattox 
River,  and  came  back  into  camp  through  the  old 
Fair  Grounds.  Rain  and  cold  wind ;  nearly  all  the 
tents  blown  dowrn. 

Sunday,  April  5. — Still  raining.  Captain  Cannon 
said  a  dispatch  had  been  received  from  the  Secretary 
of  War,  that  all  civilians  not  attached  to  regular  com 
mands  and  liable  to  conscription,  would  have  the  priv- 


IO4  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 

ilege  of  joining  any  command  they  chose.  I  told  Can 
non  I  was  a  Marylander  and  that  I  would  like  to  go  to 
Richmond  before  making  choice.  He  said  I  must  first 
designate  a  command  I  wished  to  join.  Told  him  then 
I  would  join  Captain  Mosby.  He  said  I  would  be 
mustered  in  and  leave  as  soon  as  possible. 

Tuesday,  April  7. — Went  to  Petersburg  with  Barnes, 
Wrenn  and  Biggins.  Got  plate  of  ham  and  eggs  (two 
eggs  and  a  piece  of  bacon),  $1.25. 

George  Richardson,  Gus  Williams,  Cooke,  J.  Mills 
and  Benjamin  F.  Bowles  left  camp  and  went  to  Rich 
mond.  Williams,  in  bidding  us  good-bye,  said  he  ex 
pected  to  be  back  in  the  Old  Capitol  within  a  week 
after  leaving  Richmond.  He  said  this  was  the  fourth 
time  he  had  been  a  prisoner;  that  his  two  daughters 
and  one  son,  about  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age,  were 
arrested  at  the  instigation  of  Union  men  and  im 
prisoned  three  months. 

Some  of  the  Confederate  officers  from  the  Old 
Capitol  Prison  came  down  last  night  and  reported  at 
camp  this  morning:  Captain  Sherman,  Major  Breck- 
enridge,  Lieutenants  Smith,  Bixler  and  others.  Wil 
liam  M.  Mills  leaves  camp  to-morrow. 

Thursday,  April  9. — One  of  the  prisoners  from 
Camp  Douglas  told  me  that  there  was  great  mortality 
among  the  Confederate  prisoners  there.  A  large  num 
ber  were  in  the  hospital,  and  the  morning  he  left  there 
were  thirty  corpses  in  the  dead  house.  "It  is  no 
wonder  they  die  off,"  said  he ;  "hundreds  were  frost 
bitten  and  suffered  terribly  from  the  cold  last  winter. 
Fuel  was  given  out  so  sparingly,  that  we  had  to 
treasure  every  little  piece  of  wood  and  coal  as  if  it 
was  precious  metal  we  were  hoarding.  Our  rations 


PAROLE    CAMP  IO5 

were  cut  down  so  that  we  were  never  able  to  satisfy 
the  craving  of  hunger.  So  long  as  we  were  allowed  to 
receive  food  from  benevolent  persons  outside  of  the 
prison  some  of  the  prisoners  fared  tolerably  well,  but 
when  the  order  came  prohibiting  this  we  really  suf 
fered.  Many  poor  fellows,  broken  down  and  emaciated 
by  disease,  passed  away  in  the  silence  of  the  night  and 
their  companions  in  misery  were  in  ignorance  of  the 
fact  until  the  dawning  of  day  exposed  to  their  view 
the  pale  corpse  in  their  midst. 

''Our  barracks  were  miserable,  dilapidated  buildings, 
and  our  prison  guards  were  brutal  in  the  extreme; 
they  had  never  been  to  the  front,  nor  within  sight  or 
sound  of  a  battle.  Kicks  and  curses  were  liberally 
dealt  out,  and  prisoners  were  shot  without  any  real 
provocation.  Men  were  hung  up  by  the  thumbs  until 
they  fainted.  One  half-starved  prisoner  was  shot 
while  fishing  bones  out  of  a  slop-barrel." 

Sunday,  April  12. — Fine  day.  Yesterday  I  was  passed 
out  by  Lieutenant  Smith.  Gathered  some  broom- 
sage  and  made  a  bed  of  it,  so  I  slept  more  comfortably 
last  night.  Heavy  cannonading  heard  yesterday. 

About  four  o'clock  this  afternoon  I  was  regularly 
mustered  into  the  Confederate  service,  to  serve  under 
Mosby,  now  operating  in  the  borderland  of  Virginia. 

Lindsay,  of  Washington,  went  to  Richmond,  to  be 
sent  to  Company  K,  Tenth  Louisiana  Regiment. 

There  have  been  so  many  prisoners  brought  here  to 
Camp  Parole  lately  that  we  are  getting  overcrowded. 
Coming  from  the  prison  pens  of  Camp  Chase,  Camp 
Douglas,  Johnson's  Island,  and  other  Northern  prisons, 
where  they  have  been  confined  for  months,  they  are  all 
more  or  less  infested  with  vermin.  It  is  a  common 


io6 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 


sight  to  see  an  old  soldier  quietly  seat  himself  in  a 
line  of  unfortunates,  on  the  sunny  side  of  a  fence  or 
building  sheltered  from  the  cold  wind,  and  deliberately 
drawing  his  shirt  over  his  head,  set  to  work  indus 
triously  searching  for  vampires — picking  them  out 
from  their  hiding  places  in  the  folds  and  creases. 


COLONEL  JOHN   SINGLETON    MOSBY,  C.    S.    A. 

Skirmishing,  the  boys  term  this  occupation,  though  it 
might  be  called  picketing.  To  kill  the  tiny  creatures 
who  seek  to  conceal  themselves  along  the  seams  of 
the  pants,  and  to  destroy  the  eggs,  two  round  stones 
are  taken  in  the  hands,  and  by  clapping  them  together 
up  and  down  the  seams  on  the  side  of  the  legs  of  the 
pants  the  life  is  crushed  out  of  a  goodly  number  of  the 
bloodthirsty  crew. 

Expecting  now  to  leave  the  camp  in  a  iay  or  two, 


PAROLE   CAMP  IQJ 

we — that  is,  our  mess  (and  we  certainly  were  a  sorry 
mess) — went  up  the  Appomattox  to  Elk  Licking  Creek 
and  took  a  bath.  We  had  gotten  so  stocked  up  with 
vermin,  that  the  only  way  we  could  see  to  rid  our 
selves  of  the  pest  was  to  buy  new  outfits  in  Petersburg 
and  go  to  the  Creek,  take  a  good  scrubbing,  throw 
away  all  our  old  clothes  and  put  on  the  new  ones. 

Monday,  April  13. — William  McK.  Perry,  who  was 
a  room-mate  in  the  Old  Capitol  Prison,  sent  there  from 
Camp  Chase,  left  Parole  Camp  to-day  for  his  home  in 
Missouri. 


FROM  PAROLE  CAMP  TO  UPPERVILLE 

Tuesday,  April  14. — Left  Model  Farm  Barracks, 
Camp  Parole,  in  company  with  John  H.  Barnes,  Albert 
Wrenn,  Frank  Fox,  Philip  and  Thomas  Lee,  and 
Charles  W.  Radcliffe.*  About  4  o'clock  left  Peters 
burg  for  Richmond,  where  we  arrived  at  6:30  P.M. 
Along  .the  road  to  Richmond  are  lines  of  rifle  pits 
and  intrenchments  commanding  the  approaches  to 
the  city.  When  we  reached  the  outposts  at  Richmond 
we  were  challenged  by  a  guard,  and  after  showing 
our  papers,  were  permitted  to  proceed  to  the  hotel. 
We  put  up  at  the  Powhatan  House,  corner  of  Eleventh 


*  John  H.  Barnes  joined  Mosby,  and  while  scouting  with 
Lieutenant  Williams  and  a  few  men  was  captured,  taken 
to  Washington  and  put  in  the  Old  Capitol  Prison;  was 
tried  by  court-martial  and  sentenced  to  be  shot.  This 
sentence  was  commuted  to  imprisonment  in  penitentiary 
for  twenty  years.  He  was  afterward  released,  but  was  so 
broken  down  that  he  died  soon  after  his  release. 

Frank  Fox  joined  Mosby;  was  elected  second  lieutenant 
of  Company  C;  was  especially  mentioned  for  conspicuous 
gallantry  in  Colonel  Mosby's  report  of  fight  with  Cole's 
Battalion,  February  21,  1864;  was  mortally  wounded  Sep 
tember  3,  1864,  in  fight  with  Sixth  New  York  Cavalry, 
taken  prisoner,  and  died  some  days  after  at  Sandy 
Hook,  Md. 

Albert  Wrenn  joined  Mosby;  was  elected  second  lieu 
tenant  of  Company  B,  October  1,  1863;  wounded  and 
horse  killed  at  Berryville,  August  13,  1864;  died  Washing 
ton,  D.  C.,  November  6,  1910,  and  buried  at  Chantilly, 
November  8,  1910. 

Philip  Lee  also  joined  Mosby. 

108 


FROM  PAROLE  CAMP  TO  UPPERVILLE 


109 


and  Broad  Streets.  Our  supper  consisted  of  tough 
beef,  bread  and  rye  coffee — no  butter. 

Wednesday,  April  15. — Settled  my  bill  at  the  Pow- 
hatan,  $8.  Terms  :  $8  per  day ;  $2  each  for  breakfast 
and  supper ;  $3  for  dinner ;  $2  for  lodging. 

Beef  is  selling  in  Richmond  at  $1.25  per  pound;  but 
ter,  $3;  coffee,  $4  to  $5;  eggs,  $1.50  per  dozen.  Ex- 


LIEUTENANT    FRANK    FOX 

pected  to  go  to  the  transportation  office  at  night,  but 
went  to  the  theater  and  then  back  to  the  hotel. 

Thursday,  April  16. — At  7:30  left  Richmond  and 
arrived  at  Gordonsville  at  I  P.M.  ;  stopped  at  Mann's 
Hotel.  Gordonsville  is  a  miserable  looking  place  now. 
There  has  been  so  much  rain  lately,  and  the  roads  have 
been  cut  up  with  the  travel  and  passing  of  army  teams 
and  trains,  so  that  it  is  little  else  than  a  mud-hole. 


IIO  PRISON    LIFE   IN   THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

Saturday,  April  18. — Paid  Mann's  bill,  $7.50.  There 
are  but  six  of  us  now,  as  Frank  Fox  left  us  and  re 
mained  at  Barboursville.  MacWooster  hitched  up  a 
wagon,  agreeing  to  take  us  to  Madison  Court  House 
for  $5  each.  We  reached  Madison  Court  House  about 
dark  and  went  to  a  hotel  kept  by  Mr.  Seal.  Here 
we  were  very  comfortable — good  beds  and  an  excellent 
table. 

Sunday,  April  19. — Madison  Court  House  is  a  very 
pretty  little  place,  well  situated,  and  commanding  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  Blue  Ridge  and  surrounding 
country.  There  are  two  or  three  churches  and  a  fine 
court  house.  The  houses  are  neat  and  comfortable. 
After  dinner  paid  Mr.  Seal.  Our  bill  for  supper, 
breakfast  and  dinner,  was  $4.50. 

MacWooster  said  he  would  carry  us  as  far  as  Crig- 
lersville,  about  six  miles  distant,  and  there  leave  us  to 
foot  it.  The  drive  along  the  road  was  very  pleasant, 
particularly  after  striking  Robertson  River,  a  beautiful 
clear  stream  with  a  swift  current,  which  comes  down 
from  the  mountains. 

"Now,  boys,"  said  Mac,  as  he  bid  us  good-bye  at  a 
ford  on  the  Robertson  River,  "you've  got  a  rough 
road  before  you,  and  a  poor  country  to  travel  through. 
Take  my  advice  and  stop  for  the  night  at  Matt. 
Graves's.  His  house  is  near  the  foot  of  the  moun 
tain.  He  is  one  of  the  finest  men  in  the  country.  He  will 
treat  you  well  and  give  you  the  best  he  has  in  his 
house."  We  afterward  found  good  reason  to  be  thank 
ful  for  having  taken  this  friendly  advice. 

When  we  reached  the  house  which  we  supposed  was 
to  be  our  haven  of  rest,  we  saw  a  man  riding  up  to  the 
stable,  and  on  accosting  him  found  he  was  Mr.  Graves. 


FROM  PAROLE  CAMP  TO  UPPERVILLE       III 

He  invited  us  to  his  house,  where  he  regaled  us  with  a 
good  drink  and  a  bottle  for  our  day's  journey  on  the 
morrow.  This  he  said  we  would  find  needful  before 
we  got  far  on  our  road,  for  he  not  only  repeated 
MacWooster's  warning  as  to  the  hardships  awaiting 
us,  but  also  said  he  feared  the  weather  would  prove 
unfavorable  and  add  to  our  discomfort. 

Monday,  April  20. — At  Mr.  Graves's  there  is  a  little 
fellow  about  the  size,  age  and  appearance  of  my 
youngest  son,  Bernardin.  Seeing  him  playing  around 
and  fondling  on  his  father  it  brought  to  mind  thoughts 
of  home — thoughts  of  home  and  its  comforts ;  of  the 
dear  ones  there ;  of  the  sad  hearts  I  left,  and  of  the 
glad  hearts  to  greet  me  on  my  return.  I  could  hardly 
resist  the  temptation  to  pick  up  the  little  one  without 
saying  a  word,  but  I  feared  he  would  cry,  so  I  made 
friends  with"  him  by  showing  him  a  ring  on  my  finger, 
and  so  coaxed  him  on  until  I  had  banished  any  fears 
he  might  have.  All  the  time  I  was  there  I  could 
scarcely  keep  my  eyes  off  him. 

Paid  Mr.  Graves  $2  each  for  supper,  bed  and  break 
fast,  and  started  to  cross  the  mountain  at  Milani's 
Gap.  We  were  told  it  was  ten  miles  from  Mr.  Graves's 
to  the  top  of  the  ridge  and  six  miles  to  the  foot  on 
the  other  side.  Rain  set  in  last  night  and  this  morn 
ing  the  clouds  are  very  heavy,  enveloping  the  moun 
tains  completely.  The  road  takes  a  zigzag  course  up 
the  slope,  which  is  quite  steep  in  many  places.  A  great 
portion  of  the  way  we  followed  along  the  Robertson 
River.  The  scenery,  as  well  as  we  could  see  it  through 
the  mist,  appeared  grand.  It  was  mountains  piled  on 
mountains — an  ocean  of  ridges.  In  some  places  we 
could  travel  for  a  long  distance  and  then  throw  a  stone 


112  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL   - 

to  the  place  we  started  from.  A  number  of  huts  are 
scattered  through  this  mountain  region,  but  the  people 
are  almost  as  wild  as  Indians,  and  it  was  impossible 
to  obtain  refreshments  of  any  kind  along  the  road. 

When  about  four  miles  from  the  top  rain  again  set 
in,  and  we  tramped  along  through  the  driving  storm. 
In  some  places,  endeavoring  to  save  distance,  we 
would  leave  the  main  road  and  climb  up  the  steep  sides 
until  we  struck  into  the  road  at  some  point  higher  up. 
We  had  to  ford  the  swift  mountain  streams,  or 
cross  on  an  old  log  or  fallen  tree,  where,  as  also 
in  clambering  along  the  narrow  footpath,  a  false  step, 
the  turning  of  a  stone  or  the  breaking  of  a  limb,  and 
one  would  have  been  precipitated  into  the  foaming 
current  which  dashed  on  among  the  rocks.  In  those 
mountain  storms  a  tiny  stream  which  winds  along  like 
a  silvery  thread  in  fair  weather,  is  in  less  than  an 
hour  transformed  into  a  raging  torrent,  sweeping  off 
everything  in  its  course. 

On  nearing  the  top  we  fell  in  with  a  man  who  was 
traveling  through  the  country  buying  up  cattle  and 
forage  for  the  Confederate  Government.  He  kept  in 
company  with  us  until  we  reached  Marksville.  Hear 
ing  a  noise  which  sounded  like  the  rumbling  of  a 
wagon  train  coming  down  the  road,  we  listened  and 
finally  concluded  it  either  proceeded  from  a  subter 
ranean  stream  which  flowed  through  the  mountains 
or  that  roaring  which  usually  precedes  a  mountain 
storm. 

Seeing  a  hut  near  the  roadside,  we  stopped,  and  a 
youth  came  out  to  the  fence,  followed  by  a  squad  of 
unkempt  redheaded  children.  We  asked  if  we  could 
get  anything  to  eat.  He  had  nothing.  Seeing  some 


FROM    PAROLE    CAMP    TO    UPPERVILLE  113 

chickens  roaming  around,  Barnes  said  he  would  give 
him  $1.50  for  a  dozen  eggs.  He  replied  that  he  had 
none ;  no  meal — nothing  edible,  and  it  was  a  half  mile 
to  the  top  of  the  mountain. 

We  passed  through  Dismal  Hollow,  a  wild,  roman 
tic-looking  place.  The  road  was  sometimes  hidden  by 
the  overhanging  foliage.  We  saw  the  snow  piled  up 
on  the  side  of  the  road  and  through  the  hemlock 
thickets,  where  it  remains  far  into  the  summer.  On 
reaching  the  top  of  the  mountain  we  uncorked  our 
bottle  and  drank  that  the  Yankees  might  never  cross 
the  Blue  Ridge. 

Then  commenced  our  descent,  and  it  is  hard  to  say 
whether  it  was  easier  to  go  up  or  down  hill.  Had  it 
not  been  for  the  rain  our  traveling  would  have  been 
less  difficult.  After  getting  to  the  foot  we  proceeded 
on  until  we  came  to  the  house  of  a  man  named  Kite. 
He  had  a  fine  house  and  farm,  but  refused  to  ac 
commodate  us.  He  said  he  was  eaten  out  and  had 
not  enough  for  his  own  family.  We  jogged  on  through 
the  rain  until  we  reached  Marksville,  on  the  Hawks- 
bill  Creek,  where  we  stopped  a  few  minutes  to  rest, 
and  then  walked  along  until  within  about  four  miles  of 
Luray. 

We  inquired  at  every  house  along  the  road,  but  could 
neither  get  a  mouthful  to  eat  nor  a  place  to  shelter  us 
from  the  rain,  though  we  told  them  all  we  were  not 
asking  charity,  but  were  willing  to  pay  liberally  for  all 
we  received.  After  so  many  rebuffs  we  were  about 
giving  up  the  attempt  to  get  food  or  shelter,  when 
Barnes  and  Wrenn  stopped  at  the  house  of  Reuben 
Long.  He  said  he  would  take  three  of  us  and  the 
other  three  could  get  accommodated  at  the  next  house 


114  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

— a  Mr.  Spitter.  We  tried  there  and  he  had  a  sick 
family.  We  then  went  to  the  house  of  Ambrose  Var- 
ner,  who  received  us  kindly,  built  a  big  fire  to  warm 
us  and  dry  our  wet  clothes,  and  prepared  a  good  sub 
stantial  supper  for  us.  Charles  Ratcliffe  had  become 
disgusted  with  our  receptions  and  made  arrangements 
to  build  a  fire  and  pass  the  night  in  an  old  shanty, 
while  a  negro  was  to  furnish  bread  and  meat  for  his 
supper.  He  afterward  came  to  Varners,  where  we 
spent  the  night. 

Tuesday,  April  21. — After  a  good  breakfast  we  pre 
pared  for  a  start.  On  asking  what  our  bill  was,  Mr. 
Varner  said  he  would  make  no  charge,  but  if  we  chose 
to  give  his  wife  anything  for  her  trouble,  he  would 
leave  it  altogether  with  us.  We  gave  him  $2  each, 
and  he  put  up  a  nice  lunch  to  take  along  with  us.  We 
called  at  Long's,  where  Barnes  and  Wrenn  joined  us, 
and  then  pushed  on  to  Luray.  Yesterday  we  walked 
a  little  more  than  twenty-one  miles  across  the  moun 
tains,  through  mud  and  rain. 

At  Luray,  while  Barnes  and  Wrenn  stopped  at 
Modisett's  Hotel  for  dinner,  I  went  in  search  of  a 
druggist,  as  I  had  been  unwell  for  several  days.  He 
gave  me  some  powders.  I  took  one,  which  made  me 
very  sick.  I  lay  down  for  a  while,  but  felt  no  better, 
and  we  started  off  on  the  road  to  Front  Royal.  Along 
the  road  I  was  burning  with  fever — my  head  so  dizzy 
that  I  staggered  like  a  person  drunk.  I  had  an  excess 
ive  thirst  and  drank  at  every  spring  or  stream  we 
came  to,  but  even  water  would  not  remain  on  my 
stomach — soon  after  drinking  I  would  be  taken  with 
vomiting.  After  going  about  six  miles  we  turned  off 
from  the  road  into  a  lane,  and  thence  to  the  house  of 


FROM  PAROLE  CAMP  TO  UPPERVILLE       115 

Mr.  Hoffman,  where  we  obtained  supper,  bed  and 
breakfast.  The  good  lady  of  the  house  made  me  a  cup 
of  tea,  which  I  drank,  but  could  eat  no  supper.  Went 
to  bed  early,  and  after  I  got  in  bed  Mr.  Hoffman 
brought  me  a  glass  of  toddy. 

Wednesday,  April  22. — Felt  somewhat  better  this 
morning;  got  breakfast.  Settled  bill,  $i  each.  Mr. 
Hoffman  brought  us  a  plate  of  biscuits  to  carry  along 
and  we  started  for  Front  Royal.  We  met  parties  along 
the  route,  each  with  a  different  story  to  tell  about  the 
approach  of  the  Yankees.  Some  said  they  were  in 
force  at  Middletown,  about  12  miles  from  Front  Royal. 
Others,  that  they  were  expected  in  Front  Royal  at 
any  moment,  and  advising  us  not  to  stop  there.  In 
deed,  had  we  heeded  half  the  reports  we  would  have 
retraced  our  steps. 

A  few  miles  from  Front  Royal  we  met  a  carriage 
going  toward  Luray.  In  it  was  a  young  man  in 
Confederate  uniform  and  two  young  ladies.  Barnes 
spoke  to  them  and  one  immediately  recognized  him. 
She  was  Miss  Belle  Ford,  a  cousin  to  Miss  Antonia 
Ford,  who  was  arrested  and  confined  in  the  Old  Capi 
tol  Prison  after  Mosby's  raid  into  Fairfax  Court 
House  and  capture  of  General  Stoughton,  charged 
with  giving  Mosby  information  which  led  to  the  raid 
and  capture.*  After  leaving  them  we  proceeded  about 
another  mile,  when  we  were  halted  by  a  patrol  of 
Confederate  Cavalry,  who  demanded  to  know  where 
we  were  from,  where  we  were  going,  etc.  One  of  them 
said  he  had  seen  the  Yankees  at  Middletown — cavalry, 
infantry  and  artillery — and  cautioned  us  about  stopping 


*  See  page  154. 


116  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 

at  Front  Royal.  Our  road  ran  a  great  distance  along 
the  Shenandoah  River.  On  the  one  side  we  had  the 
river  banks,  and  on  the  other  towering  rocks  and 
rugged  mountains.  In  some  places  there  was  a  gradual 
slope,  while  in  others  they  rose  perpendicular,  forming 
a  complete  wall,  but  without  its  uniformity — massive 


"t '/. 

/ 

BRIGADIER-GENERAL   EDWIN    H.    STOUGHTON,   U.    S.    A. 

and  broken,  showing  occasionally  large  fissures  which, 
viewed  from  the  ground,  resembled  windows. 

On  reaching  Front  Royal  we  went  to  the  hotel. 
There  are  two  in  town,  but  only  one  occupied.  Here 
a  very  nice  supper  was  set  out  for  us,  but  I  was  con 
tent  with  a  dish  of  boiled  milk.  There  were  but  two 
beds  in  the  house,  and  as  there  were  six  of  us  we  slept 
three  in  a  bed. 

Thursday,  April  23. — Good  breakfast  this  morning. 


FROM  PAROLE  CAMP  TO  UPPERVILLE       I  \J 

It  was  raining  very  hard  when  we  started  on  toward 
Markham.  Our  route  led  us  down  the  old  Manassas 
Railroad.  The  track  had  been  torn  up,  the  sleepers 
and  all  woodwork  burnt,  the  rails  bent  and  in  many 
cases  twisted  around  the  trunks  of  trees.  The  road 
in  some  places  was  so  muddy  we  sunk  five  or  six 
inches  at  every  step,  and  in  other  places  we  were  slip 
ping  over  sharp  broken  stones.  Finding  the  road  so 
bad,  our  clothing  completely  saturated  with  rain,  and 
there  being  no  appearance  of  the  rain  ceasing,  we 
halted  by  the  roadside  at  an  old  deserted  shanty,  which 
had  at  one  time  been  occupied  by  workmen  on  the  rail 
road.  We  gathered  some  wood,  built  a  fire  and  tried 
to  make  ourselves  as  comfortable  as  possible.  We 
bought  seven  pounds  of  flour  from  an  old  Irishman 
living  near  by,  but  could  get  neither  meat  nor  eggs. 
The  man  baked  us  some  bread  and  with  it  brought  us  a 
pot  of  coffee.  At  night  slept  on  a  bunch  of  wet  straw 
thrown  on  the  floor  of  the  shanty — that  is,  on  the  place 
where  the  flooring  should  be,  but  in  this  instance  it 
was  dirt,  the  same  as  outside,  except  that  It  was 
sheltered  from  the  rain. 

Friday,  April  24. — Still  raining.  Made  another 
start,  but  stopped  at  Air.  Lee's,  about  a  mile  from  our 
last  halting  place,  and  got  breakfast.  We  then  struck 
out  through  rain  and  mud,  our  boots  soaking  wet  and 
our  clothes  hanging  limp.  Stopped  at  Bush  Thomp 
son's  and  bought  some  apple  brandy.  Passed  through 
Markham  and  on  to  Piedmont  (now  called  Delaplane). 
We  crossed  Goose  Creek  three  times :  first,  on  charred 
logs,  the  remains  of  what  was  once  the  railroad  bridge ; 
second,  on  a  fallen  tree,  and,  third,  on  a  bridge  similar 
to  the  first.  The  .burnt  logs,  broken  and  bent  down, 


Il8  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 

looked  as  if  ready  to  give  way  under  our  weight  in 
crossing.  From  Piedmont  took  the  road  to  Upperville, 
where  we  arrived  early  in  the  evening.  Barnes  and 
Ratcliffe  went  to  the  house  of  a  friend  near  town. 
Philip  Lee,  Thomas  Lee,  Wrenn  and  myself  went  to 
Lunch  ford's,  where  we  got  a  very  poor  supper, 
no  fire,  and  sat  until  bedtime  shivering  in  our  wet  boots 
arid  clothes. 

Saturday,  April  25.  —  On  opening  my  valise  to  get 
out  dry  clothes,  I  was  surprised  to  find  that  the  water 


sb^'s  Battalion, 
Partisan  Rangers,  ^k/  ^_  .....  186£ 

r^^^ 


CERTIFICATE   OF   MEMBERSHIP 

As  there  were  men  wearing  Confederate  uniforms  (either  deserters 
or  absent  from  their  commands  without  leave),  roaming  about  the 
country,  claiming  to  belong  to  Mosby's  command,  the  men  were  fur 
nished  with  certificates  of  this  kind. 


had  leaked  in  and  everything  in  it  was  soaked  with 
water.  I  was  compelled  to  put  on  wet  socks  and  un 
derclothes. 

There  was  a  meeting  of  Mosby's  men  in  Upperville 
on  this  day  and  they  were  coming  in  town  singly  and 
in  small  squads  from  different  directions.  I  saw  Mosby 
and  made  myself  known  to  him  and  my  purpose  in 
coming  to  Virginia.  He  said  he  would  furnish  me  a 


FROM  PAROLE  CAMP  TO  UPPERVILLE       IIQ 

horse,  and  told  me  to  come  to  the  next  meeting  of  the 
command. 

I  met  a  number  of  men  who  had  been  prisoners  in 
the  Old  Capitol  with  me.  I  was  introduced  to  William 
Ayre  and  rode  with  him  to  the  home  of  his  brother 
George  S.  Ayre,  at  Ayreshire,  who  had  been  a  room 
mate  with  me  in  the  Old  Capitol  Prison.  He  welcomed 
me  to  his  home  and  told  me  to  make  his  house  my  head 
quarters.  When  I  got  my  horse  and  equipments  I 
was  ready  to  enter  upon  my  career  as  a  Partisan 
Ranger. 

INMATES    OF   ROOM    NO.    16,    DURING    MY 
TERM  OF  IMPRISONMENT 

[The    Missourians    named    were    held    here    awaiting 
transportation  South  for  exchange.] 
Adreon,  George  S.,  Baltimore. 
Armand,  William,  Louisiana. 
Ayre,  George  S.,  Loudoun  County,  Virginia 
Barnes,  John  H.,  Fairfax  County,  Virginia. 
Barrett,  Boyd. 

Bennett, ,  Maryland. 

Brawner,  Redmond  F.,  Prince  William  County,  Virginia. 

Carr,  John,  Fauquier  County,  Virginia. 

Carter,    H.    Fitzhugh,    Fauquier    County,    Virginia. 

Chandler,    ,  Missouri.     (From   Camp   Chase.) 

Clift,  ,  Missouri.     (From  Camp  Chase.) 

Comastri,   Marco,   Italy.     Arrested  coming   from  the   South. 

Davis,   

Delano,  Philemon, 

Dula,  Lowring,  Missouri. 

Eorio,  Pietro,  Brusnengo,  Piemonte,  Italia. 

Ewell,  James,   Accomac  County,  Virginia. 

Fitzgerald,  Edward. 

Flaherty,  John,  Baltimore. 

Flaherty,  Peter,  Baltimore. 


I2O  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 

Ford,  John. 

Gardner,  

George, 

Goldsmith,  John  M.,  St.  Mary's  County,  Md. 

Green,  ,  Missouri.     (From  Camp  Chase.) 

Hagan,    ,  Missouri.     (From  Camp  Chase.) 

Hammett,  George. 

Hertzog,  (From  Camp  Chase.) 

Holbrook,  Thomas  H.,  Baltimore. 
Hollenbaugh,  William  T.,  Pennsylvania. 
Hoyle,  George,  Maryland. 

Hunter,  John  B.,  Virginia.     (Held  as  a  Hostage). 
Hurst,  Thomas,  Baltimore. 

Jenkins,  

Johnson,  James,  Clarke  County,  Virginia. 

Keleher,  John,  Baltimore. 

Kerfoot,  James  F.,  Clarke  County,  Virginia. 

Key,  J.,  Maryland. 

King,  Aaron  J. 

Lackey,  ,  Missouri.     (From  Camp  Chase.) 

Lewis,  Aaron, 

Littlepage,  William  T.,  Baltimore. 
Love,   Henry,   Dumfries,   Virginia. 
Love,  Llewellyn,  Dumfries,  Virginia. 
Marchland,  Judge.     (From  Camp  Chase). 

Martin,   (From  Camp  Chase.) 

Minor,  Fairfax,  Virginia. 
Mitchell,  Captain,  Baltimore. 
Mitchell,  Lieutenant  Hugh, 

Montgomery,   

Mount,  Stephen  R.,  Loudoun  County,  Virginia. 

O'Brien,  Edward  H.,   Maryland.      (First  Md.  Regiment.) 

Pentz,  John,   Baltimore. 

Perry,  William  McK.,  Missouri.      (From  Camp  Chase.) 

Phillips,  Captain  Thomas.      (Captured  running  the  blockade 

into  Wilmington,   N.    C.) 
Phillips,   Captain   Wesley,    Baltimore.      (Captain   of   schooner 

carrying    stores    to    the    Army    of    the    Potomac.) 
Purcell,  Volney,  Loudoun  County,  Virginia. 
Randolph,   ,  Virginia. 


FROM  PAROLE  CAMP  TO  UPPERVILLE       121 

Reilly,    

Richardson,  George,  Fairfax  County,  Virginia. 

Rinaldi,  Raphael,  Italy.     (Arrested  coming  from  the  South.) 

Russell,    ,   Baltimore. 

Short, ,  Virginia. 

Simmons,  Albert,  Baltimore. 

Smith,  John  C. 

Spence,  William  A.,  Westmoreland  County,  Virginia. 

Stant,  James,  Accomac  County,  Virginia. 

Storm,  R.  B.,  Baltimore. 

Tansell,  James,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Taylor,  George,  Accomac  County,  Virginia. 

Taylor,  James,  Accomac  County,  Virginia. 

Taylor,  John  W.,  Accomac  County,  Virginia. 

Taylor,  Samuel,  Accomac  County,  Virginia. 

Thornton,  Frank,  Baltimore. 

Thornton,  William. 

Ward,  Charles. 

Ward,  Walter  W.,  Baltimore.  (Stuart's  Horse  Artillery.) 

Weiler,  Emanuel,  Richmond,  Virginia. 

Williams,  Augustus,  Vienna,  Virginia. 

Williams,  W.  R,  Maryland. 

Williamson,  James  J.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Wright,  J. 


TREATMENT  OF  PRISONERS  OF  WAR 

Hon.  Jefferson  Davis,  in  a  letter  written  from 
Beauvoir,  December,  1888,  said: 

"Nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  elapsed  since  war 
between  the  States  ceased.  Has  the  prejudice  fed  on 
the  passions  of  that  period  ceased  with  the  physical 
strife?  Shall  it  descend  from  sire  to  son,  hardened  by 
its  transmission?  Or  shall  it  be  destroyed  by  the  full 
development  of  the  truth,  the  exposure  of  the  guilty, 
and  the  vindication  of  the  innocent?" 

In  the  North  a  general  impression  was  produced, 
and  exists  to  a  certain  extent  even  at  this  late  day,  that 
Northern  prisoners  incarcerated  in  Southern  prisons 
during  the  war,  were  brutally  treated,  starved,  frozen, 
neglected  and  inhumanly  treated  in  sickness,  and  even 
murdered,  and  that  this  was  done  in  accordance  with 
a  wilful  and  deliberate  plan,  inaugurated  by  the  Con 
federate  Government  and  carried  out  by  its  officers 
and  soldiers.  And  no  other  subject  has  tended  more  to 
keep  alive  a  bitter  and  hostile  feeling  between  the 
sections. 

It  is  not  so  much  among  soldiers  who  fought 
through  the  war  that  the  intenseness  of  this  feeling  is 
shown  as  among  those  whose  fighting  has  been  done 
since  the  war.  In  most  cases  it  is  the  result  of  preju 
dice  or  through  ignorance  of  the  real  facts. 

The  Confederate  authorities  made  every  effort  pos 
sible  to'alleviate  the  sufferings  of  prisoners  in  Southern 
prisons.  Finding  it  impossible  to  effect  exchange  man 
for  man,  and  aware  of  their  inability  to  properly  care 

122 


TREATMENT    OF    PRISONERS    OF    WAR  123 

for  the  sick  and  wounded,  they  offered  to  deliver  to 
the  United  States  authorities  the  sick  and  wounded 
without  insisting  on  the  delivery  of  any  equivalent  in 
return.  It  was  nearly  four  months  after  this  offer 
was  made  by  the  Confederate  authorities  before  it  was 
accepted  by  the  United  States  authorities,  who  had 
been  informed  of  the  frightful  mortality  among  their 
soldiers  in  Southern  prisons  and  urged  to  send  speedy 
transportation  to  take  them  away. 

Robert  Oukl,  Confederate  Agent  of  Exchange,  of 
fered  to  purchase  medicines  from  the  United  States 
authorities,  to  be  used  exclusively  for  the  relief  of 
United  States  prisoners — to  pay  in  gold,  cotton  or 
tobacco — two  or  three  prices  even — such  medicines  to 
be  brought  into  the  Confederate  lines  and  dispensed 
by  United  States  surgeons. 

The  following  letter  will  show  the  persistent  efforts 
made  by  the  Confederate  authorities  for  the  relief  of 
prisoners  in  their  hands: 

Confederate  States  of  America, 
War  Department,  Richmond,  Ya.,  Jan.  24,  1864. 
Major-General  E.  A.  HITCHCOCK, 
Agent  of  Exchange. 

Sir: — In  view  of  the  present  difficulties  attending 
the  exchange  and  release  of  prisoners,  I  propose  that 
all  such  on  each  side  shall  be  attended  by  a  proper 
number  of  their  own  surgeons,  who,  under  rules  to  be 
established,  shall  be  permitted  to  take  charge  of  their 
health  and  comfort. 

I  also  propose  that  these  surgeons  shall  act  as  com 
missaries,  with  power  to  receive  and  distribute  such 
contributions  of  money,  food,  clothing  and  medicines 
as  may  be  forwarded  for  the  relief  of  prisoners.  I 
further  propose  that  these  surgeons  be  selected  by  their 


124  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

own  governments,  and  that  they  shall  have  full  liberty 
at  any  and  all  times,  through  the  agents  of  exchange, 
to  make  reports  not  only  of  their  own  acts,  but  of  any 
matters  relating  to  the  welfare  of  the  prisoners. 
Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

Ro.  OULD,  Agent  of  Exchange. 

Could  anything  be  fairer  and  more  humane  than  this 
proposal  ? 

In  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  National  Intelligencer, 
dated  August  17,  1868,  Robert  Ould  says : 

"The  cartel  of  exchange  bears  date  July  22,  1862. 
The  fourth  article  provided  that  all  prisoners  of  war 
should  be  discharged  on  parole  in  ten  days  after  cap 
ture.  From  the  date  of  the  cartel  until  the  summer  of 
1863,  the  Confederate  authorities  had  the  excess  of 
prisoners.  During  that  interval  deliveries  were  made 
as  fast  as  the  Federal  Government  furnished  trans 
portation.  ...  As  long  as  the  Confederate 
Government  had  the  excess  of  prisoners  matters  went 
on  smoothly  enough ;  but  as  soon  as  the  posture  of 
affairs  in  that  respect  was  changed  the  cartel  could 
no  longer  be  observed. 

"More  than  once  I  urged  the  mortality  at  Anderson- 
ville  as  a  reason  for  haste  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States  authorities.  I  know  personally  it  was  the  pur 
pose  of  the  Confederate  Government  to  send  off  from 
its  prisons  all  the  sick  and  wounded,  and  to  continue 
to  do  the  same  from  time  to  time,  without  requiring 
any  equivalents." 

The  War  Department  at  Washington,  on  July  3, 
1863,  issued  General  Order  No.  209,  which  states  that 
"it  is  understood  captured  officers  and  men  and  sick 
and  wounded  in  hospitals  have  been  paroled  and  re 
leased,"  and  concludes:  "Any  officer  or  soldier  who 
gives  such  parole  will  be  returned  to  duty  without 


TREATMENT    OF    PRISONERS    OF    WAR  125 

exchange,   and,   moreover,   will   be  punished   for  dis 
obedience  to  orders." 

General  J.  A.  Early,  commenting  on  this  order, 
said:  "But  for  that  order  all  the  prisoners  captured 
by  us  at  Gettysburg,  amounting  to  fully  six  thousand, 
would  have  been  paroled,  and,  in  fact,  the  proper  staff 
officers  were  proceeding  to  parole  them,  and  had 
actually  paroled  and  released  a  large  number  of  them, 
when  news  came  of  the  order  referred  to.  Why  did 
Air.  Stanton  object  to  the  paroling  of  those  prisoners? 
And  why  did  he  prefer  that  they  should  be  confined 
in  prisons  in  the  South — 'prison  pens,'  as  Northern 
Republicans  are  pleased  to  call  them.  ...  If  any 
of  the  prisoners  brought  from  Gettysburg,  or  subse 
quently  captured,  lost  their  lives  at  Andersonville,  or 
any  other  Southern  prison,  is  it  not  palpable  that  the 
responsibility  for  their  deaths  rested  on  Edwin  M. 
Stanton?" 

The  fact  is,  the  authorities  at  Washington  were 
willing  to  allow  their  soldiers  to  languish  and  die  in 
Southern  prisons  rather  than  consent  to  exchange. 
Would  rather  have  them  kept  and  starved  that  they 
might  make  capital  out  of  it.  When  they  consented 
to  receive  the  sick  and  wounded,  they  did  it — not  for 
the  purpose  of  ameliorating  their  sufferings,  but  that 
they  might  take  the  wrorst  looking  of  the  sick  and 
starved  prisoners  and  make  an  exhibition  of  their  pic 
tures  to  arouse  a  feeling  of  resentment  among  the 
Northern  people,  cover  up  their  own  infamy  and  place 
the  South  in  a  false  light  before  the  powers  of  the 
world. 

In  August,  1864,  Brigadier-Generals  Wessells  and 
Seymour  were  sent  South  to  look  into  the  condition 
and  treatment  of  Union  prisoners.  From  a  report  of 


126  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

General  Seymour  to  Colonel  Hoffman,  Commissary- 
General  of  Prisoners,  Washington,  D.  C,  I  take  the 
following  extract,  which  proves  how  little  the  United 
States  authorities  were  concerned  on  account  of  the 
sufferings  of  their  soldiers  who  were  held  as  prisoners 
of  war: 

"The  Southern  authorities  are  exceedingly  desirous 
of  an  exchange  of  prisoners.  General  Wessells  and 
myself  had  an  interview  with  General  Ripley  at 
Charleston,  S.  C.,  on  this  point.  Their  urgency  is  un 
bounded,  but  we  asserted  that  it  was  the  poorest  pos 
sible  policy  for  our  Government  to  deliver  to  them 
40,000  prisoners,  better  fed  and  clothed  than  ever  be 
fore  in  their  lives,  in  good  condition  for  the  field,  while 
the  United  States  receives  in  return  an  equal  number 
of  men  worn  out  with  privations  and  neglect,  barely 
able  to  walk,  often  drawing  their  last  breath,  and 
utterly  unfit  to  take  the  field  as  soldiers." 

Major-General  Ben  Butler,  referring  to  the  frustra 
tion  of  his  efforts,  while  in  command  at  Fortress 
Monroe,  to  bring  about  an  exchange  of  prisoners,  says 
in  his  book: 

"His  (Grant's)  proposition  was  to  make  an  ag 
gressive  fight  upon  Lee,  trusting  to  the  superiority  of 
numbers  and  to  the  practical  impossibility  of  Lee  get 
ting  any  considerable  reinforcements  to  keep  up  his 
army.  We  had  26,000  Confederate  prisoners,  and  if 
they  were  exchanged  it  would  give  the  Confederates  a 
corps  larger  than  any  in  Lee's  army,  of  disciplined 
veterans,  better  able  to  stand  the  hardships  of  a  cam 
paign  and  more  capable  than  any  other,"  etc. 

At  the  last  session  of  the  Confederate  Congress  a 
joint  committee  of  the  two  Houses  was  appointed  to 
take  up  and  investigate  the  "Condition  and  Treatment 


TREATMENT    OF    PRISONERS    OF    WAR  127 

of  Prisoners  of  War."  This  committee  took  a  vast 
amount  of  testimony — sworn  depositions  of  witnesses 
— surgeons,  officers  and  soldiers,  private  citizens  and 
Federal  prisoners. 

The  object  of  this  was  to  correct  the  unjust  state 
ments  and  misrepresentations  which  were  circulated, 
and  to  remove  false  impressions  and  unfounded  pre 
judices — to  present  to  the  world  "a  vindication  of  their 
country  and  relieve  her  authorities  from  the  injurious 
slanders  brought  against  her  by  her  enemies." 

From  the  extremely  lengthy  Report  of  this  com 
mittee  I  give  here  a  few  extracts : 

"This  Report  is  rendered  especially  important  by 
reason  of  persistent  efforts  lately  made  by  the  Govern 
ment  of  the  United  States  and  by  associations  and  in 
dividuals  connected  or  co-operating  with  it,  to  asperse 
the  honor  of  the  Confederate  authorities  and  to  charge 
them  with  deliberate  and  wilful  cruelty  to  prisoners  of 
war.  Two  publications  have  been  issued  at  the  North 
within  the  past  year  and  have  been  circulated  not  only 
in  the  United  States  but  in  some  parts  of  the  South 
and  in  Europe.  One  of  these  is  the  Report  of  the  joint 
select  committee  of  the  Northern  Congress  on  the  Con 
duct  of  the  War,  known  as  'Report  No.  67.'  It  is  ac 
companied  by  eight  pictures  or  photographs  alleged  to 
represent  United  States  prisoners  of  war  returned  from 
Richmond  in  a  sad  state  of  emaciation  and  suffering. 

"The  intent  and  spirit  of  this  report  may  be  gathered 
from  the  following  extract :  'The  evidence  proves 
beyond  all  manner  of  doubt,  a  determination  on  the  part 
of  the  rebel  authorities,  deliberately  and  persistently 
practised  for  a  long  time  past,  to  subject  those  of  our 
soldiers  who  have  been  so  unfortunate  as  to  fall  into 
their  hands  to  a  system  of  treatment  which  has  resulted 
in  reducing  many  of  those  who  have  survived  and 
been  permitted  to  return  to  us  to  a  condition  both 


128  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 

physically  and  mentally  which  no  language  we  can 
use  can  adequately  describe.' — Rep.  p.  i. 

'The  other  (Report)  purports  to  be  a  'Narrative  of 
the  Privations  and  Sufferings  of  United  States  Offi 
cers  and  Soldiers  while  Prisoners  of  War/  and  is 
issued  as  a  Report  of  a  Commission  of  Inquiry  ap 
pointed  by  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission. 

"The  disingenuous  attempt  is  made  in  both  these 
publications  to  produce  the  impression  that  these  sick 
and  emaciated  men  were  fair  representatives  of  the 
general  state  of  the  prisoners  held  by  the  South,  and 
that  all  their  prisoners  were  being  rapidly  reduced  to 
the  same  state  by  starvation  and  cruelty,  and  by  neglect, 
ill-treatment  and  denial  of  proper  food,  stimulants  and 
medicines  in  the  Confederate  hospitals.  The  facts  are 
simply  these: 

"The  Federal  authorities,  in  violation  of  the  cartel, 
having  for  a  long  time  refused  exchange  of  prisoners, 
finally  consented  to  a  partial  exchange  of  the  sick 
and  wounded  on  both  sides.  Accordingly  a  number  of 
such  prisoners  were  sent  from  the  hospitals  in  Rich 
mond.  General  directions  had  been  given  that  none 
should  be  sent,  except  those  who  might  be  expected  to 
endure  the  removal  and  passage  with  safety  to  their 
lives ;  but  in  some  cases  the  surgeons  were  induced  to 
depart  from  this  rule  by  the  entreaties  of  some  officers 
and  men  in  the  last  stages  of  emaciation,  suffering  not 
only  with  excessive  debility,  but  with  'nostalgia,'  or 
home-sickness,  whose  cases  were  regarded  as  des 
perate,  who  could  not  live  if  they  remained,  and  might 
possibly  improve  if  carried  home.  Thus  it  happened 
that  some  very  sick  and  emaciated  men  were  carried 
to  Annapolis,  but  their  illness  was  not  the  result  of 
ill-treatment  or  neglect.  Such  cases  might  be  found 
in  any  large  hospital  North  or  South.  They  might 
even  be  found  in  private  families,  where  the  sufferer 
would  be  surrounded  by  every  comfort  that  love  could 
bestow.  Yet  these  are  the  cases  which,  with  hideous 
violation  of  decencv,  the  Northern  Committee  have 


TREATMENT    OF    PRISONERS   OF    WAR  I2Q 

paraded  in  pictures  and  photographs.  They  have  taken 
their  own  sick  and  enfeebled  soldiers,  have  stripped 
them  naked ;  have  exposed  them  before  a  daguerrean 
apparatus,  have  pictured  every  shrunken  limb  and 
muscle,  and  all  for  the  purpose,  not  of  relieving  their 
sufferings,  but  of  bringing  a  false  and  slanderous 
charge  against  the  South. 

"A  candid  reader  of  these  publications  will  not  fail 
to  discover  that,  whether  the  statements  they  make 
be  true  or  not,  their  spirit  is  not  adapted  to  promote 
a  better  feeling  between  the  hostile  powers.  They  are 
not  intended  for  the  humane  purpose  of  ameliorating 
the  condition  of  the  unhappy  prisoners  held  in  cap 
tivity.  They  are  designed  to  inflame  the  evil  passions 
of  the  North ;  to  keep  up  the  war  spirit  among  their 
own  people ;  to  represent  the  South  as  acting  under 
the  dominion  of  a  spirit  of  cruelty,  inhumanity  and 
interested  malice,  and  thus  to  vilify  her  people  in  the 
eyes  of  all  on  whom  these  publications  can  work. 

"But  even  now  enough  is  known  to  vindicate  the 
South,  and  to  furnish  an  overwhelming  answer  to  all 
complaints  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  Govern 
ment  or  people,  that  their  prisoners  were  stinted  in 
food  or  supplies.  Their  own  savage  warfare  has 
wrought  the  evil.  They  have  blockaded  our  ports ; 
have  excluded  from  us  food,  clothing  and  medicines ; 
have  even  declared  medicines  contraband  of  war,  and 
have  repeatedly  destroyed  the  contents  of  drug  stores, 
and  the  supplies  of  private  physicians  in  the  country; 
have  ravaged  our  country,  burned  our  houses  and  de 
stroyed  growing  crops  and  farming  implements.  One 
of  their  officers — (General  Sheridan) — has  boasted  in 
his  official  report  that  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  alone 
he  burned  2,000  barns  filled  with  wheat  and  corn ;  that 
he  burned  all  the  mills  in  the  whole  tract  of  country, 
destroyed  all  the  factories  of  cloth,  and  killed  or  drove 
off  every  animal,  even  to  the  poultry,  that  could  con 
tribute  to  human  sustenance.  These  desolations  have 
been  repeated  again  and  again  in  different  parts  of  the 
South.  Thousands  of  our  families  have  been  driven 


I3O  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

from  their  homes,  as  helpless  and  destitute  refugees. 
Our  enemies  have  destroyed  our  railroads  and  other 
means  of  transportation,  by  which  food  could  be  sup 
plied  from  abundant  districts  to  those  without  it. 
While  thus  desolating  our  country  in  violation  of  the 
usages  of  civilized  warfare,  they  have  refused  to  ex 
change  prisoners ;  have  forced  us  to  keep  50,000  of 
their  men  in  captivity,  and  yet  have  attempted  to  at 
tribute  to  us  the  sufferings  and  privations  caused  by 
their  own  acts." 


The  report  also,  contains  a  great  amount  of  testi 
mony  concerning  the  cruel  treatment  of  Confederate 
prisoners  in  Northern  prisons. 

Pollard,  in  his  history  of  the  "Lost  Cause,"  after 
reciting  the  extraordinary  efforts  made  by  the  Con 
federate  authorities  to  relieve  the  sufferings  at  Ander- 
sonville,  says: 


"Who  was  responsible  for  the  sufferings  of  the  sick 
and  wounded  prisoners  at  Andersonville,  from  August 
to  December,  1864?  The  world  will  ask  with  amaze 
ment  if  it  was  possible  that  thousands  of  prisoners 
were  left  to  die  in  inadequate  places  of  confinement, 
merely  to  make  a  case  against  the  South — merely  for 
romance !  The  simple  fact  gives  the  clue  to  the  whole 
story  of  the  deception  and  inhuman  cruelty  of  the 
authorities  at  Washington  with  reference  to  their 
prisoners  of  war — the  key  to  a  chapter  of  horrors  that 
even  the  hardy  hand  of  history  shakes  to  unlock.  To 
blacken  the  reputation  of  an  honorable  enemy ;  to  make 
a  false  appeal  to  the  sensibilities  of  the  world ;  to 
gratify  an  inhuman  revenge,  Mr.  Stanton,  the  satur 
nine  and  malignant  Secretary  of  War  at  Washington, 
did  not  hesitate  to  doom  to  death  thousands  of  his 
countrymen,  and  then  to  smear  their  sentinels  with  ac 
cusing  blood." 


TREATMENT    OF    PRISONERS    OF    WAR 


ABOUT   DEAD-LINES 

Much  has  been  written  and  spoken  of  the  "dead 
lines"  in  Southern  prisons.  One  would  suppose  they 
were  unknown  in  Northern  prisons.  The  fact  is,  they 
were  as  common  at  the  North  as  in  the  South.  There 
was  not  a  Northern  prison-camp  but  had  its  "dead 
line,"  and  at  all  these  prisons  men  were  shot  at  and 
many  killed  for  passing  over  them.  And  there  was 
no  reason  to  complain  of  this,  for  the  lines  were 
plainly  marked,  and  it  was  known  that  anyone  attempt 
ing  to  cross  them  would  be  shot.  So,  any  man — no 
matter  whether  North  or  South — killed  in  violating 
this  regulation  did  not  deserve  any  sympathy. 

Even  in  the  Old  Capitol  Prison  guards  with  loaded 
guns  were  stationed  around  the  prison,  within  and 
without,  and  any  prisoner  attempting  to  escape,  or 
overstepping  the  bounds,  was  liable  to  be  shot.  Two 
men,  at  least,  were  killed  there — Wharton  and  Stewart, 
as  described  in  my  Prison  Diary,  page  36.  And  this  in 
the  city  of  Washington,  a  fortified  city,  within  the 
Union  lines,  surrounded  by  camps,  with  thousands  of 
soldiers,  and  the  prisoners  confined  in  a  walled  prison- 
house  heavily  guarded. 


MAJOR  HENRY  WIRZ,  C.  S.  A. 

The  True  History  of  the  Wirz  Case. 

I  was  living  in  Washington  at  the  time  Captain 
Wirz  underwent  the  travesty  of  a  trial — a  farce  which 
ended  in  a  tragedy. 

I  frequently  met  and  conversed  with  Louis  Schade, 
his  counsel,  and  his  associate,  Judge  Hughes.  I  also 
met  and  conversed  with  witnesses  on  the  trial. 

Rev.  Father  Boyle  and  Father  Wiget,  who  attended 
Wirz  during  his  imprisonment  and  ministered  to  him 
in  his  last  moments  on  the  scaffold,  were  both  warm 
personal  friends  of  mine — Father  Wiget  particularly. 
I  not  only  regarded  him  as  a  spiritual  father,  as  he 
was,  but  with  all  the  respect  and  affection  which  a 
devoted  son  would  have  for  a  kind,  loving  father. 
Had  I  any  doubts  in  the  matter  of  the  guilt  or  inno 
cence  of  Wirz,  I  would  take  the  word  of  either  of  these 
good  and  true  men  before  that  of  the  whole  tribe  of 
hired  perjurers  who  testified  against  him. 

There  are  many  persons  at  the  present  day  who 
know  nothing  as  to  the  truth  or  falsity  of  the  record 
of  events  which  took  place  during  and  immediately 
after  the  Civil  War,  except  what  they  have  heard  or 
perhaps  read  in  histories  written  in  the  heat  of  pas 
sion,  with  prejudice  and  malice,  and  their  minds  are 
often  poisoned  and  their  judgments  warped  by  the., 
misrepresentations  and  sensational  stories  invented  at 
the  time  to  exasperate  the  people  of  the  North. 

Major  Henry  Wirz  was  a  native  of  Switzerland. 
132 


MAJOR   HENRY   WIRZ,   C.   S.  A. 


133 


He  came  to  this  country,  and  in  1861  was  a  physician 
practising  his  profession  in  Western  Louisiana. 

He  entered  the  Confederate  Army  at  the  begin 
ning  of  the  war,  was  wounded  —  his  right  arm 
shattered  by  a  ball,  so  that  he  remained  a  cripple  per 
manently.  As  his  right  arm  was  powerless  he  did  not 
have  the  physical  ability  to  ill-treat  prisoners  as  some 


MAJOR   HENRY    WIRZ,   C.    S.    A. 

of  the  witnesses  testified  at  his  trial.  Even  if  this 
charge  had  been  true,  that  he  exercised  undue  severity 
toward  some  of  the  prisoners,  he  might  have  been 
justified  in  so  doing,  when  their  fellow  prisoners  were 
compelled  to  hang  a  half  a  dozen  in  self-defense. 
In  1862  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Captain 
"for  bravery  on  the  field  of  battle,"  and  to  that  of 
Major  a  few  months  before  the  close  of  the  war. 


134  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

He  was  an  impulsive  man — some  said  he  was  rough 
in  his  manner.  This  apparent  roughness  in  persons  of 
foreign  birth  sometimes  proceeds  from  difference  in 
language  and  their  mode  of  expression,  which  may 
only  need  a  little  prejudice  or  ill-will  to  distort  into 
something  offensive.  But  that  he  was  a  man  kind  at 
heart  is  shown  by  his  earnest  endeavors  to  relieve  the 
sufferings  of  the  prisoners  under  his  charge. 

In  the  Official  Records  of  the  Rebellion,  published 
by  the  United  States  Government,  will  be  found  let 
ters  of  Wirz  to  Captain  R.  D.  Chapman,  Acting  Ad 
jutant  of  Post,  and  Colonel  D.  S.  Chandler,  Assistant 
Adjutant  and  Inspector-General,  showing  his  efforts 
to  better  the  condition  of  the  prisoners,  both  with  re 
gard  to  rations  and  hygiene. 

In  the  Southern  Historical  Society  Papers  is  a 
tetter  from  General  John  D.  Imboden,  written  in  1876, 
from  which  the  following  extracts  are  taken: 

"I  have  already  alluded  to  Captain  Wirz's  recom 
mendation  to  put  up  more  shelter.  I  ordered  it,  and 
thereafter,  daily,  a  hundred  or  more  prisoners  were 
paroled  and  set  to  work  in  the  neighboring  forest. 
In  the  course  of  a  fortnight  comfortable  log-houses, 
with  floors  and  good  chimneys — for  which  the 
prisoners  made  and  burnt  the  brick — were  erected  for 
twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  men. 

"This  same  man  (Captain  Wirz)  who  was  tried 
and  hung  as  a  murderer,  warmly  urged  the  establish 
ment  of  a  tannery  and  shoemaker's  shop,  informing 
me  that  there  were  many  men  among  the  prisoners 
skilled  in  these  trades,  and  that  some  of  them  knew 
a  process  of  very  rapidly  converting  hides  into 
tolerably  good  leather.  There  were  thousands  of  hides 
at  Andersonville  from  the  young  cattle  butchered  dur 
ing  the  previous  summer  and  fall,  whilst  the  country 


MAJOR  HENRY  WlRZ,  C.  S.  A.  135 

yet  contained  such  animals.  A  few  weeks  later  many 
of  the  barefooted  prisoners  were  supplied  with  rough, 
but  comfortable  shoes.  Another  suggestion  came  from 
the  medical  staff  of  the  post,  that  I  ordered  to  be 
at  once  put  into  practice:  It  was  to  brew  corn  beer 
for  those  suffering  from  scorbutic  taint.  Captain  Wirz 
entered  warmly  into  this  enterprise.  I  mention  these 
facts  to  show  that  he  was  not  the  monster  he  was 
afterward  represented  to  be,  when  his  blood  was  called 
for  by  infuriated  fanaticism.  I  would  have  proved 
these  facts  if  I  had  been  permitted  to  testify  on  his 
trial,  after  I  was  summoned  before  the  Court  by  the 
United  States,  and  have  substantiated  them  by  the 
records  of  the  prison  and  of  my  own  headquarters." 

When  the  Federal  troops  were  sent  to  Georgia 
Major  Wirz  was  placed  under  guard  and  taken  to 
the  Old  Capitol  Prison,  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  where 
he  remained  from  the  loth  of  May,  1865,  until  Novem 
ber  loth,  1865,  when  he  was  hung. 

For  three  weary  months  he  was  kept  a  close 
prisoner,  and  then  he  was  taken  before  a  Military 
Commission  for  trial  (?). 

In  the  case  of  Major  Wirz  the  usual  course  of  pro 
cedure  was  reversed — he  was  first  condemned,  then 
tried,  and  finally  executed.  Yet  this  was  not  the  final 
act,  for  the  malignity  of  his  persecutors  followed  him 
even  after  death.  When  Father  Boyle  and  others 
sought  to  give  the  body  of  Wirz  Christian  burial  in 
consecrated  ground  the  request  was  denied  and  the 
body  deposited  beside  those  executed  for  the  assas 
sination  of  President  Lincoln,  in  the  yard  of  the  old 
arsenal. 

The  regard  for  law  and  justice  which  usually 
governs  in  a  Civil  Court  had  no  holding  in  the  proceed 
ings  of  a  Military  Commission,  where  the  decisions 


136  PRISON    LIFE   IN   THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

of  the  Court  were  rendered  in  accordance  with  the 
opinions  of  the  Judge  Advocate,  who  admitted  or  re 
jected  testimony  as  he  thought  it  affected  the  case. 
Consequently  persons  whose  testimony  was  considered 
vital  for  the  defense,  were  not  allowed  to  testify,  while 
witnesses  for  the  prosecution  were  permitted  to  give 
their  evidence,  no  matter  how  inconsistent  or  mani 
festly  false  it  was. 

In  a  letter  dated  August  i/th,  1868,  to  the  National 
Intelligencer,  Robert  Ould,  who  was  Confederate 
States  Agent  of  Exchange,  says : 

"I  was  named  by  poor  Wirz  as  a  witness  in  his  be 
half.  The  summons  was  issued  by  Chipman,  the  Judge 
Advocate  of  the  Military  Court.  I  obeyed  the  sum 
mons  and  was  in  attendance  upon  the  court  for  some 

ten  days Early  in  the  morning  of 

the  day  on  which  I  expected  to  give  my  testimony  I 
received  a  note  from  Chipman  requiring  me  to  sur 
render  my  subpoena.  I  refused,  as  it  was  my  protec 
tion  in  Washington.  ...  I  engaged,  however,  to 
appear  before  the  court  and  did  so  the  same  morning. 
The  Judge  Advocate  endorsed  on  my  subpoena  these 
words:  The  within  subpoena  is  hereby  revoked;  the 
person  named  is  discharged  from  further  attendance/ 
I  have  got  the  curious  document  before  me  now, 
signed  with  the  name  of  'N.  P.  Chipman,  Colonel/  etc. 
I  intend  to  keep  it,  if  I  can,  as  the  evidence  of  the 
first  case  in  any  court  of  any  sort,  where  a  witness  who 
was  summoned  for  the  defense  was  dismissed  by  the 
prosecution." 

Rev.  Father  Whelan,  of  Savannah,  Ga.,  a  venerable 
Catholic  priest,  who  had  been  in  the  habit  of  visiting 
and  ministering  to  the  prisoners  at  Andersonville,  went 
to  Washington,  as  a  witness.  He  was  asked  by  the 
prosecuting  attorney  what  he  knew,  and  after  telling 


MAJOR  HENRY  WIRZ,  C.   S.  A.  1 37 

his  observations  at  the  prison,  he  was  told  he  was  not 
wanted  and  could  go  home. 

In  an  old  diary  of  mine,  I  find  this  entry : 
"A  man  named  Marini  was  in  the  store  to-day.  He 
was  called  as  a  witness  in  the  Wirz  case.  He  had 
been  a  prisoner  at  Andersonville.  He  said  many  of 
the  witnesses  had  sworn  falsely.  Some  swore  he  had 
been  bitten  by  bloodhounds.  This  he  said  was  false; 
that  he  had  shown  them  his  person  to  prove  there  were 
no  marks  of  wounds.  'If  I  had  been  torn  by  the  dogs 
as  they  swore  I  had/  said  he,  'would  there  not  have 
been  at  least  some  scars  to  show  it?'  He  said  that  at 
the  time  some  of  the  witnesses  swore  Wirz  had  shot 
prisoners,  Wirz  was  not  at  Andersonville,  but  was 
absent  from  the  post  for  about  four  weeks  on  surgeon's 
certificate,  suffering  from  gangrene ;  that  the  accounts 
of  the  prisoners  being  killed  by  Wirz  were  false. 
Marini  was  in  the  employ  of  the  United  States  Gov 
ernment  as  a  spy  during  the  war.  He  said  that  one 
of  the  witnesses  swore  he  had  been  sick  during  the 
whole  time  he  was  at  Andersonville.  'So  he  should 
have  been,'  said  Marini;  'he  didn't  wash  himself  the 
whole  time  he  was  there ;  he  was  too  lazy/  " 

The  star  witness  for  the  prosecution  was  the  Mar 
quis  De  la  Baume,  who  claimed  to  be  a  grand  nephew 
of  Lafayette.  He  testified  to  the  "individual  killing" 
or  murder  "committed  by  Wirz."  Before  the  conclu 
sion  of  the  trial  he  was,  on  the  recommendation  of 
the  members  of  the  Military  Commission,  appointed 
to  a  clerkship  in  the  Interior  Department  at  Washing 
ton.  He  was  afterward  recognized  as  a  deserter  from 
the  Seventh  Xew  York  Regiment,  and  his  name  was 
plain  Felix  Oeser.  When  this  fact  became  known  he 
was  dismissed  from  his  office,  a  few  wreeks  after  the 
execution  of  Wirz.  There  was  no  further  need  of 
his  services. 


138  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

Another  witness  against  Wirz  was  John  Rainbow. 
In  September,  1894,  he  was  sentenced  in  Union  County 
(N.  J.)  Court  to  one  year  in  State  Prison  for  steal 
ing  a  watch.  A  petition,  signed  by  Grand  Army  men, 
was  presented  to  the  court  and  this  sentence  was  re 
voked  and  he  was  committed  to  the  county  jail  for  six 
months. 

In  the  charges  upon  which  Wirz  was  condemned 
and  hung  were  thirteen  specifications  of  men  said  to 
have  been  murdered  by  him,  but  though  all  the  most 
minute  details  were  given,  it  is  a  singular  fact  that 
there  is  not  given  the  name  of  any  one  of  these 
persons — in  every  instance  mentioned,  it  is  "name  un 
known." 

In  the  first  specification  Wirz  was  charged  with  con 
spiring  with  Jefferson  Davis,  James  A.  Seddon, 
Howell  Cobb,  and  others,  named  and  unnamed,  "to 
injure  and  impair  the  health  and  destroy  the  lives," 
etc.,  "of  soldiers  in  the  service  of  the  United  States." 
On  this  charge  Wirz  was  declared  guilty  and  hanged. 
Why  were  none  of  the  other  conspirators  punished? 
Did  he  conspire  alone  ? 

Had  the  case  been  brought  in  any  Civil  Court — no 
matter  where — it  would  have  been  thrown  out  of 
court. 

What  must  have  been  the  agony  of  this  poor  victim, 
sitting  in  the  courtroom,  day  after  day,  and  week  after 
week,  listening  to  the  recital  of  the  horrible  tales,  de 
scribing  him  as  a  fiend  incarnate,  by  wretches  who 
were  swearing  his  life  away.  He  looked  in  vain  upon 
the  faces  around  for  a  glance  of  pity,  but  on  all  sides 
he  met  the  glaring  eyes  of  men  thirsting  for  his 
blood. 


MAJOR  HENRY   WIRZ,  C.   S.  A.  139 

Foiled  in  their  efforts  to  incriminate  Jefferson  Davis, 
his  cruel  and  vindictive  persecutors  determined  to 
wreck  their  vengeance  upon  Wirz,  poor  and  friendless, 
whom  they  had  in  their  power,  and  who  had  rejected 
their  proposal  to  purchase  his  life  by  swearing  falsely 
against  Jefferson  Davis. 

Major  Richard  B.  Winder,  M.D.,  and  dean  of  the 
Baltimore  Dental  College,  was  a  prisoner  in  the  Old 
Capitol,  Washington,  at  the  time  of  Wirz's  imprison 
ment  and  execution.  A  statement  of  his  in  regard  to 
an  occurrence  which  took  place  the  evening  before 
Wirz  was  executed  has  been  extensively  published, 
but  an  extract  from  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  here : 

"A  night  or  two  before  Wirz's  execution — early  in 
the  evening,  I  saw  several  male  individuals  (looking 
like  gentlemen)  pass  into  Wirz's  cell.  I  was  naturally 
on  the  qni  vive  to  know  the  meaning  of  this  unusual 
visitation,  and  was  hoping  and  expecting  too  that  it 
might  be  a  reprieve — for  even  at  that  time  I  was  not 
prepared  to  believe  that  so  foul  a  judicial  murder 
would  be  perpetrated.  I  think — indeed,  I  am  quite 
certain — there  \vere  three  of  them.  Wirz  came  to  his 
door,  which  was  immediately  opposite  mine,  and  I 
gave  him  a  look  of  inquiry,  which  was  at  once  under 
stood.  He  said :  These  men  have  just  offered  me 
my  liberty  if  I  will  testify  against  Mr.  Davis,  and 
criminate  him  with  the  charges  against  the  Anderson- 
vine  Prison.  I  told  them  that  I  could  not  do  this, 
as  I  neither  knew  Mr.  Davis  personally,  officially  or 
socially,  but  if  they  expected  with  the  offer  of  my 
miserable  life  to  purchase  me  to  treason  and  treachery 
to  the  South  they  had  undervalued  me.' ' 

In  reply  to  a  letter  of  inquiry  from  Hon.  Jefferson 
Davis,  Rev.  Father  Boyle  wrote : 

"On  the  evening  before  the  day  of  the  execution 


140 


PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 


of  Major  Wirz  a  man  visited  me,  on  the  part  of  a 
cabinet  officer,  to  inform  me  that  Major  Wirz  would 
be  pardoned  if  he  would  implicate  Jefferson  Davis  in 
the  cruelties  at  Andersonville.  No  names  were  given 
by  this  emissary,  and,  upon  my  refusing  to  take  any 
action  in  the  matter,  he  went  to  Mr.  Louis  Schade, 


REV.  F.   E.  BOYLE 
Pastor    of    St.    Peter's    R.    C.    Church,   Washington,    D.    C. 

counsel  for  Major  Wirz,  with  the  same  purpose  and 
with  a  like  result. 

"When  I  visited  Major  Wirz  the  next  morning  he 
told  me  that  the  same  proposal  had  been  made  to  him 
and  had  been  rejected  with  scorn.  The  Major  was 
very  indignant,  and  said  that  while  he  was  innocent  of 
the  charges  for  which  he  was  about  to  suffer  death, 
he  would  not  purchase  his  liberty  by  perjury  and  a 
crime  such  as  was  made  the  condition  of  his  freedom. 

"I  attended  the  major  to  the  scaffold,  and  he  died 
in  the  peace  of  God  and  praying  for  his  enemies.  I 


MAJOR   HENRY   WIRZ,   C.   S.   A.  14! 

know  that  he  was  indeed  innocent  of  all  the  cruel 
charges  on  which  his  life  was  sworn  away,  and  I  was 
edified  by  the  Christian  spirit  in  which  he  submitted 
to  his  persecutors. 

"Yours  very  truly, 

"F.  E.  BOYLE." 

Wirz  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  night  before  his 
execution  in  writing,  but  slept  for  a  few  hours  before 
daylight  and  awoke  cheerful  and  refreshed.  He  was 
calm  and  self-possessed  and  had  left  nothing  undone. 
His  own  books,  as  well  as  those  borrowed,  were  all 
neatly  done  up  and  left  for  delivery  to  the  proper 
parties.  His  diary  was  completed  up  to  the  last  day. 

He  felt  keenly  the  abuse  that  was  heaped  upon  him. 
As  he  bade  farewell  to  his  old  associate,  Captain  R.  H. 
Winder,  he  said : 

.  .  .  "Promise  me,  if  you  live,  to  do  all  in  your 
power  to  wipe  out  this  awful  stain  upon  my  character. 
Make  my  name  and  character  stand  as  bright  before 
the  world  as  it  did  when  you  first  knew  me.  Promise 
me  you  will  do  something  to  assist  my  wife." 

Winder  turned  his  face  away  to  hide  his  tears,  as 
he  replied :  "Captain,  I  will." 

One  of  the  daily  newspapers,  after  relating  this 
parting  with  Winder,  said : 

"Wirz  passed  on  down  the  stairs,  out  between  the 
files  of  men  facing  outward,  up  to  the  scaffold,  show 
ing  something  in  his  face  and  step  which  in  a  better 
man  might  have  passed  for  heroism." 

How  contemptible !  His  courage  and  fortitude 
shone  out  in  spite  of  the  infamous  position  in  which 
his  enemies  sought  to  place  him,  but  even  the  eyes 
blinded  by  prejudice  and  the  callous  hearts  around 


142  PRISON    LIFE   IN   THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

him  could  not  fail  to  note,  though  they  could  not  ap 
preciate,  the  lofty  spirit  of  the  man. 

From  the  little  room  in  the  third  story,  designated 
''No.  9 — Wirz,  H.,  Captain  C.  S.  A.,"  he  was  marched 
to  the  scaffold,  erected  in  one  corner  of  the  prison 
yard.  Here  he  took  a  seat  on  a  small  stool,  imme 
diately  under  the  gaping  noose  swaying  over  him.  A 
soldier  stood  at  shoulder  arms  on  either  corner  of  the 
platform,  and  four  companies,  one  each  from  the 
I95th  and  2i4th  Pennsylvania,  and  two  from  the  9th 
Regiment  of  Hancock's  Corps,  formed  a  hollow  square 
around  the  scaffold.  Fathers  Boyle  and  Wiget  never 
left  his  side  until  the  last  moment.  Indeed,  when  the 
noose  was  adjusted  his  face  wore  a  smile  and  he  was 
still  talking  to  Father  Boyle. 

For  eighteen  minutes  he  was  compelled  to  sit  and 
listen  to  the  reading  of  the  findings  and  sentence — the 
enumeration  of  the  crimes  with  which  he  was  charged, 
while  on  the  housetops  and  in  the  branches  of  the  trees 
in  the  Capitol  grounds  men  and  boys  crowded,  all 
eager  to  witness  the  ghastly  spectacle;  and  their  in 
human  shouts,  and  brutal  jests  about  the  "dead-line," 
pendant  above  him,  could  be  heard  by  Wirz,  who  sat 
apparently  calm  and  unmoved,  save  when  amid  the 
groans  and  outcries,  a  voice  called  out  "Hang  the 
scoundrel."  As  this  reached  his  ears  he  turned  quickly, 
with  a  defiant  look  in  the  direction  from  which  the 
sound  proceeded,  then,  giving  a  cool  glance  on  the 
surroundings,  he  resumed  his  self-command,  giving  his 
undivided  attention  to  his  spiritual  advisers. 

At  the  close  of  the  reading  Major  Russell  asked 
Wirz  if  he  wished  to  say  anything  to  the  public  before 
the  execution.  He  replied:  "I  have  nothing  to  say, 


MAJOR   HENRY   WIRZ,   C.   S.  A.  143 

only  that  I  am  innocent,  and  will  die  like  a  man, 
my  hopes  being  in  the  future.  I  go  before  my  God, 
the  Almighty  God,  and  he  will  judge  between  me  and 
you."  At  twenty  minutes  to  eleven  o'clock  Sylvester 
Ballon  kicked  away  the  prop  and  Henry  Wirz  passed 
from  life  to  the  dark  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death. 


St.   Aloysius 


Washington,    D.    C. 


I  saw  Father  Wiget  a  few  hours  after  the  execu 
tion.  He,  with  Father  Boyle,  had  stood  with  Wirz  on 
the  scaffold — had  clasped  his  hand  just  as  he  was 
about  to  be  launched  into  eternity.  He  had  been  with 
him  through  the  mockery  of  a  trial,  and  when  I  saw 
him  his  breast  was  rilled  with  emotion.  He  said :  "Oh ! 
he  was  a  brave  man !"  He  had  stood  by  him  as  the 


144  PRISON    LIFE   IN   THE   OLD   CAPITOL 

rabble  thirsting  for  his  blood,  like  the  cruel  Jews, 
cried  out  "Crucify  him!  Crucify  him!"  and  he  knew 
the  man  was  innocent  of  the  crimes  imputed  to  him. 
"He  was  a  brave  man" — the  good  old  priest  could  say 
no  more;  his  heart  was  touched,  and  his  feelings  too 
deep  for  mere  words.  Between  what  is  felt  and  what 
is  expressed  there  is  often  an  immeasurable  distance. 
It  is  impossible  at  times  to  give  expression  in  words 
to  the  most  touching — to  the  most  beautiful  emotions 
of  the  heart. 

In  Wirz's  letters  to  his  wife  there  is  an  amount  of 
pathos — a  bitter,  yet  mournful  wailing.  The  soft 
notes  which  he  touches  with  trembling  fingers  will 
strike  a  sympathetic  chord  in  hearts  not  utterly  lost 
to  all  sense  of  tenderness  or  humanity. 

A  letter  written  by  his  wife  just  after  she  had 
learned  of  the  termination  of  her  husband's  trial  would 
in  itself  show  how  false  and  malicious  were  the  as 
sertions  of  sensational  newspapers  that  there  was  no 
kindly  feeling  between  them.  After  speaking  of  her 
distress  at  the  necessity  of  leaving  him  at  that  critical 
moment,  and  telling  him  not  to  despair — that  all  would 
come  out  right — she  speaks  of  their  past  happiness, 
and  cannot  believe  the  authorities  will  tear  them  apart ; 
that  if  the  members  of  the  court  only  knew  how  much 
they  suffered,  a  pardon  would  be  granted  him.  The 
letter  concludes  as  follows: 

"Dear  husband,  bear  up  bravely,  whatever  your  fate 
may  be.  If  I  could  but  see  you  for  one  short  hour  I 
should  be  much  comforted.  I  cannot  describe  to  you 
on  paper  the  distress  of  my  mind.  May  angels  watch 
and  protect  you  from  all  harm,  is  the  constant  prayer 
of  your  loving  wife." 


MAJOR  HENRY  WIRZ,  C.  S.  A.  14$ 

In  Wirz's  last  letter  to  his  wife  and  children  are  the 
sad,  soft  breathings  from  a  bosom  filled  with  the 
warmest  affection  and  anxious  solicitude  for  their 
welfare : 

"Old  Capitol  Prison, 
"Washington,  D.  C.,  Nov.  10,  1865. 

"My  dearest  Wife  and  Children:  When  these  lines 
reach  you  the  hand  who  wrote  them  will  be  stiff  and 
cold.  In  a  few  hours  from  now  I  shall  be  dead.  Oh, 
if  I  could  express  myself  as  I  wish,  if  I  could  tell  you 
what  I  have  suffered  when  I  thought  about  you  and 
the  children !  I  must  leave  you  without  the  means  to 
live,  to  the  miseries  of  a  cold  cruel  world.  Lise,  do 
not  grieve,  do  not  despair;  we  will  meet  again  in  a 
better  world.  Console  yourself,  think  as  I  do — that 
I  die  innocent.  Who  knows  better  than  you  that  all 
these  tales  of  cruelties  and  murders  are  infamous  lies, 
and  why  should  I  not  say  it?  A  great  many  do  call 
me  hard-hearted,  because  I  tell  them  that  I  am  not 
guilty,  that  I  have  nothing  to  confess.  Oh,  think  for 
a  moment  how  the  thought  that  I  must  suffer  and  die 
innocent  must  sustain  me  in  the  last  terrible  hour; 
that  when  I  shall  stand  before  my  Maker  I  can  say, 
'Lord,  of  these  things  you  know  I  am  not  guilty.  I 
have  sinned  often  and  rebelled  against  Thee,  oh,  let 
my  unmerited  death  be  an  atonement.'  Lise,  I  die 
reconciled.  I  die,  I  hope,  as  a  Christian.  This  is 
His  holy  will  that  I  should  die,  and  therefore  let 
us  say  with  Christ,  Thy  will,  O  Lord,  be  done.' 

"I  hardly  know  what  to  say.  Oh,  let  me  beg  you, 
do  not  give  way  to  despair.  Think  that  I  am  gone 
to  my  Father,  to  your  Father,  to  the  Father  of  all, 
and  that  there  I  hope  to  meet  you.  Live  for  the  dear 
children.  Oh,  do  take  good  care  of  Cora.  Kiss  her 
for  me.  Kiss  Susan  and  Cornelia,  and  tell  them  to 
live  so  that  we  may  meet  again  in  the  heaven  above 
the  skies;  tell  them  that  my  last  thoughts,  my  last 
prayer  shall  be  for  them." 


146  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 

Then  follow  some  words  of  advice  with  regard  to 
the  schooling  of  the  children,  and  to  the  future  life, 
etc.,  of  the  family,  and  he  concludes  by  saying: 

"God  bless  you  all  and  protect  you.  God  give  you 
what  you  stand  in  need  of,  and  grant  that  you  all  so 
live  that  when  you  die  you  can  say,  Lord,  Thou  callest 
me,  here  I  am.  And  now,  farewell  wife,  children,  all, 
I  will  and  must  close,  farewell,  farewell;  God  be  with 
us. 

"Your  unfortunate  husband  and  father, 

"H.  WIRZ." 


EXTRACTS  FROM  DIARY  OF  MAJOR  WIRZ 

From  the  diary  kept  by  Wirz  while  in  prison  during 
the  progress  of  the  trial,  I  make  a  few  extracts,  yet 
enough  to  show  the  manhood,  the  nobility  of  the  man : 

"Old  Capitol  Prison,  Oct.  i,  1865. 

"'Everything  is  quiet  around  me.  No  sound  but  the 
measured  steps  of  the  sentinel  in  the  corridor  can  be 
heard.  The  man  who  is  sitting  in  my  room  is  nodding 
in  his  chair.  Poor,  short-sighted  mortals  that  we  all 
are!  This  man  is  here  to  watch  me,  to  prevent  any 
attempt  I  might  make  to  take  my  own  life.  My  life 
—what  is  it  worth  to  anyone  except  myself  and  my 
poor  family,  that  they  should  be  so  anxious?  I  think 
I  understand  it  very  well,  they  are  afraid  I  might  cheat 
them  and  the  public  at  large  from  having  their  re 
venge,  and  giving,  at  the  same  time,  the  masses  the 
benefit  of  seeing  a  man  hangedJ  If  this  is  all,  they  are 
welcome.  I  have  no  desire  to  live ;  perhaps  there  never 
was  a  more  willing  victim  dragged  to  the  scaffold 
than  I  am.  Why  should  I  desire  to  live?  A  beggar, 
crippled,  and  with  my  health  and  spirit  broken — why, 
oh  why,  should  I  desire  to  live?  For  the  sake  of  my 
family?  My  family  will  do  as  well  without  me  as 
with  me.  Instead  of  providing  for  and  taking  care 
of  them,  I  would  be  a  burden  to  them.  And  still, 
knowing  all  that,  why  do  I  not  put  an  end  to  my  life? 
Because,  in  the  first  instance,  what  I  suffer  now  is  the 
Will  of  God.  GOD — how  much  is  not  in  this  word— 
what  a  tower  of  strength,  of  consolation !  Yes, 
Heavenly  Father,  if  it  was  not  Thy  will  I  would  not 
be  a  prisoner.  I  would  not  be  looked  at,  spoken  of  as 
a  monster,  such  as  the  world  has  never  seen  and  never 
will  see.  If  that  what  I  suffer  now  was  not  put  on  me 
by  you  for  some  wise  purpose  I  would  be  as  free  as 

147 


148  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

the  bird  in  the  air.  Thou  and  I — we  two  alone  know 
that  I  am  innocent  of  those  terrible  charges.  Thou 
and  I — we  both  know  that  I  never  took  the  life  of  a 
fellow  man — that  I  never  caused  a  man  to  suffer  and 
die  in  consequence  of  ill-treatment  inflicted  by  me; 
and  still  I  am  tried  for  murder.  Men  have  sworn  that 
they  saw  me  do  it ;  they  have  called  on  Thee  to  witness 
that  they  would  tell  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and 
nothing  but  the  truth,  and  still  they  told  a  lie — a  lie 
as  black  as  hell  itself.  Why  did  you  not  send  a  thun 
derbolt  from  the  high  heavens — why,  oh  God,  why? 
Because  it  is  Thy  holy  will,  and  in  humility  I  kiss  the 
rod  with  which  Thou  seest  proper  to  chastise  me. 

'The  second  reason  why  I  did  not  destroy  a  life 
which  is  a  burden  to  me,  is  because  I  owed  it  to  my 
self,  my  family,  my  relatives,  even  to  the  world  at 
large,  to  prove  that  there  never  existed  a  man  so 
utterly  devoid  of  all  humanity,  such  a  fiend  incarnate, 
as  it  has  been  attempted  to  prove  me  to  be.  I  see  very 
well  that  I  have  no  earthly  show — that  I  am  a  doomed 
man ;  but  thanks  be  to  God  that  I  am  enabled  to  say 
with  holy  Stephanus:  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their 
charge.  They  judge  from  what  they  hear  and  I  must 
abide  by  it. 

"Oct.  2,  1865. — Another  day  has  passed.  I  am  tired 
and  worn  out ;  whichever  \vay  I  turn  my  eyes  every 
thing  looks  gloomy  and  dark.  Can  it  be  possible  that, 
knowing  what  I  do  know,  I  shall  fall  a  victim.  But 
why  do  I  doubt?  What  right  have  I  to  grumble,  as  if 
it  were  a  thing  unheard  of  in  history  that  men  suffered 
the  death  of  a  felon  as  innocent  of  the  crime  alleged 
as  I  am ;  and  if  I  dare  to  make  a  comparison  between 
our  Saviour  and  myself,  did  not  He  also  suffer  death? 
True,  he  died  as  an  atonement  for  a  sinful  world ;  true, 
He  died  willingly ;  He  had  a  holy  mission  to  fulfill ; 
but  I?  Why  should  I  die?  I  can  only  say,  because 
it  is  God's  will.  Oh,  God!  Our  Heavenly  Father, 
give  me  grace,  give  me  the  power  to  bear  the  cross 
which  Thou  seest  fit  to  lay  on  me.  Have  I  not  often 


EXTRACTS    FROM    DIARY    OF    MAJOR    WIRZ  149 

sinned  against  Thee,  and  neglected  the  holy  command 
ments?  If  I  suffer  now  innocently  can  I,  dare  I  say, 
I  never  offended  Thee?  Therefore  be  calm,  my  poor 
heart.  Give  thyself  into  His  hands  and  say,  Abba ! 
Father ! 

"Oct.  3.  1865. — What  a  mockery  is  this  trial.  I  feel 
at  times  as  if  I  ought  to  speak  out  aloud  and  tell  them, 
why  do  you  wrong  yourself  and  me  too?  Why  not 
end  the  game  at  once  ?  Take  me  and  hang  me  and  be 
done  with  it.  A  few  days  I  asked  to  arrange  my 
defense ;  it  was  refused  on  the  ground  that  I  had  ample 
time.  Ample  time,  indeed !  May  the  day  be  far  dis 
tant  for  General  Wallace  when  he  may  plead  with 
grim  death  for  a  day,  and  receive  the  answer,  No ! 
I  just  received  a  note  from  my  wife,  saying  she  had 
tried  in  every  way  to  see  me,  but  impossible.  She  says 
she  is  going  to  her  mother  in  Kentucky,  and  hopes 
to  be  able  to  do  more  for  me  there  than  in  remaining 
here.  Poor,  deluded  woman,  what  do  you  expect  to 
accomplish,  what  can  you  do  for  me  but  pray?  Oh, 
what  a  consolation  it  is  to  a  person  in  a  situation  like 
mine,  that  there  is  in  the  wide,  wide  world  at  least  one 
being  that  will  pray  for  me.  Yes,  pray;  but  pray  for 
thyself ;  the  road  thou  hast  to  travel  is  a  hard  one ; 
when  thou  findest  out  that  when  you  pressed  my  hand 
two  weeks  ago,  when  thy  lips  touched  mine,  it  was  in 
all  probability  the  last  time  then  dost  thou  need  all 
the  comfort  prayer  can  give.  May  God  bless  you,  and 
take  care  of  you  and  the  dear,  dear  children — I  must 
end.  Everything  swims  before  my  eyes — God,  oh, 
God,  have  mercy  upon  me. 

"Oct.  4,  1865. — What  a  mockery  this  trial  is.  They 
say  that  they  are  anxious  that  I  should  have  justice 
done  to  me,  and  then  when  a  witness  is  put  on  the 
stand  to  give  testimony  they  try  everything  to  break 
him  down ;  if  they  cannot  do  it,  they  try  to  assail  his 
private  character.  When  they  had  their  own  witnesses 


I5O  PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 

up,  they  not  alone  were  allowed  to  state  everything  I 
said,  everything  I  done,  but  even  what  they  heard 
others  say  that  I  had  said  so  and  so,  done  such  and 
such  things,  and  now,  when  I  wish  to  prove  by  my 
witnesses  what  I  also  said  and  done,  it  is  said  it  is 
inadmissible.  I  might  just  as  well  be  put  on  the  stand 
myself,  as  if  I  had  said  those  things  now  and  not  a 
year  ago,  when  I  had  no  idea  that  1  should  be  held  to 
account  hereafter.  But  so  the  world  goes,  and  all  I 
can  say  is,  Oh,  God,  give  me  strength  to  bear  with 
patience  and  humility  what  Thou  seest  fit  to  put  on 
me.  Be  Thou  my  judge. 

"Oct.  5,  1865.— When  I  left  the  courtroom  to-day, 
I  heard  a  lady  remark :  'I  wish  I  could  shoot  out  his 
eyes,'  meaning  me.  Foolish  woman !  The  time  will 
come  when  my  earthly  eyes  are  shut  up;  are  you  in 
such  a  hurry?  But  it  is  very  natural  that  people  do 
think  and  pass  such  remarks.  For  weeks  and  weeks 
they  have  heard  men  testify  to  cruelties  done  by  me 
and  now  a  very  slim  chance  have  I  to  contradict  these 
statements.  It  seems  to  me  as  if  General  Wallace 
had  a  personal  spite  against  me  or  my  counsel,  or  he 
would  not  act  the  way  he  does.  If  he  has  one  against 
me,  I  pity  him  that  he  has  not  more  magnanimity  of 
soul  than  to  crush  me  in  such  an  unheard  of  arbitrary 
way;  if  he  has  a  spite  against  my  counsel,  it  is  a 
cowardly  act  to  do  as  he  does,  for  in  the  end  I  am  the 
sufferer,  and  not  my  counsel. 

"Oct.  6,  1865. — Another  day  passed.  I  wish  the 
trial  was  over.  I  wonder  what  unheard-of  resolutions 
the  court  will  pass  again  to-morrow.  I  did  not  feel 
it  so  keenly  to-day  as  I  felt  it  other  days,  and  I  have  to 
thank  God  for  it  in  permitting  me  to  partake  of  the 
Holy  Communion  this  morning.  I  feel  less  contempt 
for  those  who  are  sitting  in  judgment  over  me.  If  it 
is  God's  will  to  open  their  eyes  and  hearts,  He  alone 
has  the  power  to  do  it.  I  am  certain  that  none  of  the 


EXTRACTS    FROM    DIARY   OF    MAJOR   WIRZ  151 

court,  nor  the  Judge  Advocate,  considers  and  believes 
me  guilty.  They  all  know  that  the  whole  thing  is  a 
farce.  Cruelties  have  been  committed  at  Anderson- 
ville ;  some  one  has  to  suffer  for  it ;  they  have  me ; 
therefore,  I  am  the  one,  voila  tout." 


MONUMENT  AT  ANDERSONVILLE 

After  more  than  forty  years  had  passed  an  act  of 
tardy  justice  was  performed,  when  a  monument  was 
unveiled  at  Andersonville,  in  memory  of  the  man  who 
was  the  victim  of  cruel  injustice  and  put  to  death  for 
crimes  of  which  he  was  innocent. 

The  monument  is  a  shaft  of  gray  and  white,  35 
feet  in  height  and  simple  in  design.  The  base  is 
formed  by  four  square  slabs  of  stone  superimposed  in 
the  form  of  a  pyramid.  Above  this  are  two  heavy 
blocks  of  stone,  on  the  four  sides  of  which  are  carved 
the  following  inscriptions : 

NORTH  SIDE 

"When  time  shall  have  softened  passion  and  pre 
judice,  when  reason  shall  have  stripped  the  mask  from 
misrepresentation,  then  Justice,  holding  evenly  her 
scales,  will  require  much  of  past  censure  and  praise 
to  change  places. 

"JEFFERSON  DAVIS. 
"December,  1888." 

SOUTH   SIDE 

"Discharging  his  duty  with  such  humanity  as  the 
harsh  circumstances  of  the  times  and  the  policy  of  the 
foe  permitted,  Captain  Wirz  became  at  last  the  victim 
of  a  misdirected  popular  clamor.  He  was  arrested  in 
time  of  peace  while  under  the  protection  of  a  parole, 
tried  by  a  military  commission  of  a  service  to  which 
he  did  not  belong  and  condemned  to  ignominious  death 
on  charges  of  excessive  cruelty  to  Federal  prisoners. 
He  indignantly  spurned  a  pardon  proffered  on  condi- 

152 


MONUMENT    AT    ANDERSONVILLE  153 

tion  that  he  would  incriminate  President  Davis  and 
thus  exonerate  himself  from  charges  of  which  both 
were  innocent." 

EAST  SIDE 

"In  memory  of  Captain  Henry  Wirz,  C.  S.  A.  Born 
in  Zurich,  Switzerland,  1822.  Sentenced  to  death  and 
executed  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  November  10,  1865. 
To  rescue  his  name  from  the  stigma  attached  to  it  by 
embittered  prejudice  this  shaft  is  erected  by  the  Georgia 
Division  United  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy." 

WEST   SIDE 

"It  is  hard  on  our  men  held  in  Southern  prisons  not 
to  exchange  them,  but  it  is  humanity  to  those  left  in 
the  ranks  to  fight  our  battles.  At  this  particular  time 
to  release  all  Rebel  prisoners  North  would  insure 
Sherman's  defeat  and  would  compromise  our  safety 
here. 

"ULYSSES  S.  GRANT. 
"August  18,  1864." 


FAIRFAX  COURT  HOUSE  RAID  AND  CAP 
TURE  OF  GENERAL  STOUGHTON 

As  detailed  accounts  of  this  famous  raid  have  been 
so  often  published  I  will  not  repeat  the  story  here. 
A  little  incident  connected  with  it,  however,  may  be 
new  to  some  of  my  readers : 

In  October,  1906,  there  was  a  reunion  of  the  old- 
time  Telegraphers'  and  Historical  Association  held  in 
Washington,  D.  C.  From  a  special  dispatch  to  the 
Baltimore  Sun  of  October  nth,  I  take. the  following: 

"Another  interesting  war-time  telegrapher  attending 
the  Convention  is  R.  F.  Weitbrec,  now  a  wealthy  con 
tractor  of  Denver.  In  March,  1863,  he  was  operator 
for  General  Stoughton,  whose  headquarters  were  at 
Fairfax  Court  House,  with  several  thousand  men. 

"  'Hooker  had  more  than  100,000  men  between  us 
and  Lee's  army,'  he  said  to-day,  'and  we  felt  as  safe 
as  if  we  were  in  Boston.  My  office  and  living  quarters 
were  in  a  tent  in  the  yard  of  the  General's  headquar 
ters.  About  three  o'clock  one  rainy  night  I  was  rudely 
awakened  by  someone  playing  "ride  a  cock  horse"  on 
my  stomach.  There  had  been  several  gay  young  lieu 
tenants  around  my  camp  who  made  a  practice  of  com 
ing  to  my  tent  at  unseemly  hours  and  having  fun  with 
me. 

"  'In  the  darkness  I  mistook  the  person  on  my 
stomach  for  one  of  these,  and  tried  to  throw  him  off. 
Instantly  my  throat  was  clutched  and  I  felt  a  cold  muz 
zle  against  my  temple.*  That  moment  a  light  flared 

*The  "Mosby  Man"  here  mentioned,  was  Joseph  Nelson, 
afterward  Lieutenant  of  Company  A,  43d  Battalion  Virginia 
Cavalry,  Mosby's  Rangers. 

154 


FAIRFAX    COURT    HOUSE   RAID 


155 


up  and  my  intruders  were  two  Confederate  cavalry 
men,  who  told  me  they  were  Mosby's  men,  who  had 
gobbled  up  a  General  with  a  lot  of  horses  and  pris 
oners.  One  of  them  whittled  my  telegraph  instrument 
into  junk.  I  was  taken  out,  mounted  on  a  horse  and 
taken  on  one  of  the  wildest  rides  ever  experienced  by 


\>:sX'<.~j£J^:  -^g&t 


THE  GUNNELL  HOUSE,  FAIRFAX  COUKT   HOUSE 
General    Stoughton's   Headquarters 

a  human  being.  There  were  only  a  dozen  or  two  of 
the  cavalrymen.  They  had  nearly  100  horses  and 
prisoners.  Besides,  they  were  surrounded  by  thou 
sands  of  our  soldiers  and  didn't  stop  for  sentries,  ex 
cept  to  grab  and  take  them  along.  By  daybreak  they 
had  us  outside  the  Federal  lines,  and  breakfast  didn't 
come  for  anybody  in  the  party  until  late  that  evening. 
I  spent  several  months  in  prison,  and  when  exchanged 


156  PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 

went  West,  where  Indian  hunting  proved  tamer  than 
pastoral  life  in  Virginia  during  the  war.' ': 


In  "Historic  Records  of  the  Fifth  New  York 
Cavalry,"  by  Rev.  Louis  N.  Boudrye,  Chaplain  of  the 
Regiment,  I  find  the  following: 

"March  qth. — About  3  o'clock  A.M.  Mosby  and  his 
gang,  led  by  Sergeant  James  F.  Ames,  formerly  of 
Company  L,  of  this  regiment,  having  safely  passed 
the  pickets,  entered  Fairfax  Court  House.  Without 
scarcely  firing  a  shot  they  captured  50  fine  horses 
and  about  30  prisoners,  including  Brigadier-General 
Stoughton  and  Captain  Barker  of  the  Fifth  New  York 
Cavalry.  The  brigade  was  sent  in  pursuit  of  the 
dashing  party,  each  regiment  taking  different  routes, 
but  they  returned  at  night  unsuccessful,  the  Fifth 
New  York  having  gone  to  Herndon  Station.  Such  a 
raid,  five  or  six  miles  within  our  lines,  resulting  in 
such  a  heavy  loss  to  us,  reflects  very  uncreditably  upon 
some  of  our  military  leaders,  while  it  shows  how  wily 
a  foe  we  have  to  contend  with." 

When  Company  F,  Mosby's  Battalion,  was  organ 
ized,  James  F.  Ames,  usually  spoken  of  as  "Big 
Yankee,"  was  chosen  as  second  lieutenant.  He  was 
killed  October  Qth,  1864,  at  Mrs.  Shacklett's  gate  on 
the  road  to  Piedmont  (now  called  Delaplane)  by  a 
Federal  scout  who  came  out  with  one  of  the  parties 
from  Rectortown  that  morning,  and  while  this  scout 
was  rifling  the  corpse,  he  was  killed  by  one  of  Mosby's 
men,  Lud.  Lake. 


INDEX 


Adreon,    George    S.,    escape,   52. 

Allsman,    Andrew,    65,    66. 

Ames,    Lieut.   James   F.,    156. 

Andersonville    (see   Wirz). 

Armand,    William,    76,     77. 

Ayre,     George     S.,    arrested,    robbed 

and  imprisoned,  44. 
Hostage    for    Steers,    45. 


City  Point,  Va.,  95. 

As  it  looked  in  spring  of  1863,  96. 

Clift,  ,    119. 

Collision    on    railroad,    14. 
Comastri,    Marco,    61,    77,    119. 
Commission    to    try    State    prisoners, 

61,     69. 
Congress    and     Cumberland,    wrecks 

of,    91. 
Cooke    ,    104. 


Taker,  Willis,  66. 

Ballon,    Sylvester,    143. 

Baltimore,    12,    13. 

Barnes,    John    H.,    86,    88,    97,    102, 

103,  104,  108,  113,  114,  118,  119. 
Barrett,    Boyd,    67,    73. 

Bennett,   ,    119. 

Tells    mule    story,    69. 
Bixler,  Lieut.,  at  Parole  Camp,  104. 
Bixler,     Morgan,     66. 
Blockade    runners,    38,    46,    47,    64, 

75,    78,    79.^ 

Bowles,    Benjamin    F.,    104. 
Boyd,    Belle,    Gus    Williams    tells    of 

her    imprisonment,    50. 
Her    remarkable    career,     51. 
Supt.    Wood    spoke    of    her,    52. 
Brawner,     Redmond     F.,    imprisoned 

and    family    driven    from    home, 

44. 

Breckinridge,    Major,    104. 
Bribery,   37,   38,    52,   67. 
Buell,   Colonel,   85. 


Camp  Chase,   prisoners  tell  of  treat 
ment   there,    100,    101,    102. 
Three    little    boys    from,    67. 
Camp     Douglas,     prisoners     tell     of 
cruel   treatment   and   great   mor 
tality    at,    100,    101,    104. 
Verified    by    Official    Records,    101. 
Camp    Parole,    hardships    at,     101. 
Exchange    of    prisoners,    102. 
Vermin,     105,     106. 
Carr,    John,    sad    experience,    60. 
Dr.    Green    and    his    mules,    70. 
Carroll   Prison    (Duff   Green's  Row), 

22,    75,    87. 

Carter,    H.    Fitzhugh,    119. 
Answers     at     roll-call,     81. 
Also  at  "sick  call,"  82,  83. 

Chandler,   ,    119. 

Charlie,     our     friendly     contraband 

and   our   Ganymede,   53. 
Children    held    as    prisoners,    66,    67, 
68,   87,    104. 


Daily    routine    of    prison   life,    54. 

Daniels,     • ,_    40,     41. 

Darling,    Captain,    rumor    of    his   es 
cape,    52. 

On  flag-of-truce  boat,  91. 
Davis,   ,    (blockade   runner),   52, 

119. 
Davis,     Hon.     Jefferson,     122,     138, 

139,    152. 

Dead-lines,    about,    131. 
De     la     Baume,     the     Marquis,     star 

witness   against   Wirz,    137. 
Delano,    Philemon,    119. 
Delaplane    (Piedmont),    117,    118. 
Departure   of   prisoners,    84,   89. 
Detectives   and    spies,    58. 
Diary,    in    Old     Capitol,     19. 
At    Camp     Parole,     98. 
Itinerary     from     Parole    Camp    to 

Upperville,    108. 

Extracts  from  diary  of  Wirz,   147. 
Doster,     Colonel     (provost-marshal), 

32. 
Duff      Green's      Row — (see      Carroll 

Prison). 

Dula,    Lowring,    119. 
"Dutchy,"     29. 


Early,    General    Jubal    A.,   comments 
on    Gen.     Order    No.    209,     125. 
Efforts     of     Confederate     authorities 
to  relieve  prisoners,   123. 

To   effect   exchange,    124-6-7-130. 
Elk   Licking   Creek,    107. 
Ennis,    Mrs.,    the    prisoners'    friend, 

29. 

Eorio,    Peter,    61,    77,    78,    119. 
Escapes    from    Old    Capitol,    Adreon 
and    Captain    Darling,    52. 

Captain    Wynne,    46. 

Federal    prisoners,    75. 

Plans  laid  but  defeated,  52. 
Ewell,   James,    79,    119. 
Examination,    provost-marshal,    20. 

And    search    entering    prison,    22. 

Bv     Colonel     Buell,    85,    86. 

By    Colonel    Wood,    72. 

By    Captain    Parker,    39,    42. 


157 


PRISON    LIFE   IN    THE   OLD   CAPITOL 


Exchange    of    prisoners,    Quid's    let 
ter    to    Hitchcock,    123. 

Letter    to    National    Intelligencer, 
124. 

Report    of    Gen.    Seymour,    126. 

U.    S.    authorities    did    not    want, 
125. 

Gen.     Butler's    efforts     frustrated, 
126. 

Southern   authorities  anxious    for, 
126. 

Extracts  from   report   Confederate 

Congress,     127-8-9,     130. 
Execution    by    Gen.    McNiel,    65,    66. 

Of    Wirz,    142,    143. 


Fairfax    Court    House    raid,    115. 
Gen.    Stoughton's    telegraph    oper 
ator    tells    of    his    capture,    154, 
155,    156. 

Sergeant     Ames     (Big     Yankee), 
156. 

Federal  soldiers,  prisoners  for  in 
subordination  and  deserters,  73. 

Fifth  New  York  Cavalry,  what  the 
chaplain  said  of  Fairfax  Court 
House  raid,  156. 

Fire,   alarm  in   Old   Capitol,    70,    71. 

First    Maryland    Regiment,    14. 

Fitzgerald,    Edward,    119. 

Flag-of-truce  boat,  steamer  State  of 
Maine,  90. 

Flaherty,  John,     63,    119. 

Flaherty,     Peter,    63,     119. 

Fleggenheimer  mourns  the  loss  of 
his  goods,  64. 

Food,  at  Old  Capitol,  poor  in  qual 
ity  and  insufficient  in  quantity, 
22,  26-7-8. 

Providing    our    own    rations,    27-8. 
Rations    at     Camp     Parole,     98-9, 
103. 

Ford,    Miss    Antonia,    87,    115. 

Ford,    Miss    Belle,     115. 

Ford,    John,    119. 

Fortress   Monroe,   90,   91. 

Fox,   Lieut.   Frank,  at  Parole  Camp, 

99,     102,     108,     110. 
Lieut.    Co.    C,    Mosby's  Men,    108. 
Wounded   and   died,    108. 

"Fresh    fish,"    46. 

Front   Royal,    115,    116. 

Fullerton,   James,    30,    56,   57. 


Gardner,    (blockade     runner), 

52,    119. 

General    orders   No.    209,    refusal   to 

recognize    paroles,    124. 
Gen.    Pope's    order    licensing    sol 
diers   to    plunder   citizens,    45. 

George,    (blockade    runner)— 

52,    119. 

Goldsmith,    John    M.,    60,    119. 


Goose  Creek,  crossing  under  difficul 
ties,  117,  118. 

Gordonsville,    109. 

Graves,    Matt.,    110,    111. 

Green,    (from    Missouri),    119. 

Guard  house  at  Old  Capitol,  59, 
78,  79. 

Gunnell  House,  Fairfax  Court 
House,  155. 


TT 


Hagan,   ,    119. 

Hammett,     George      (blockade     run 
ner),   38,   52,    119. 

Haskins,    •     (from    South     Caro 
lina),    67,    73. 
Died    of    smallpox,    73. 

Henry   Burden,    U.    S.    steamer,    97. 

Hero,    a    young,    65. 

Hertzog,   ,119. 

Higgins,    Captain,    57. 

Highland,  ,  prison  guard  at  Old 

Capitol,    87. 
Very  kind  to  prisoners,  87. 

Hoffman,    Mr.,    115. 

Holbrook,    Thomas,    an    old    school 
mate,    79. 
A  valuable   addition  to   our  mess, 

79,    80. 
To  room  No.  10,  86,  89,  119. 

Hollenbaugh,    William    T.,    119. 

Hospital,    54. 

Hostages,     John     B.     Hunter,      for 

Stiles,    32. 
George    S.    Ayre,    for    Steers,    45. 

Howe,    Henry,    my    accuser,    40,    42. 
Arrested  in  Richmond  on  charges, 
40,   41. 

How  we  passed  the  time,  47,  48. 

Hoyle,   George,   85,   89,    119. 

Humston,    Thomas,     66. 

Hunter,  John  B.,  32,   119. 

No  charge,  but  hostage  for  Stiles 
the  guide,   60. 

Hurst,  Thomas,  31,  75,   119. 

Hutson,   Herbert,   66. 


Imboden,    Gen.    John    D.,    letter    of, 

134. 
Not  allowed  to  testify  at  trial   of 

Wirz,    135. 
Itinerary    of    journey    from    Parole 

Camp    to    Upperville,    108,    118. 


James  River,  steaming  up  the,  94-5. 
Jamestown,   first   settlement,   94. 

Jenkins,   ,    119. 

John   Morgan's  orderly,"   67. 
Johnson,     James,     robbed     and     im 
prisoned,    43,    119. 


INDEX 


Johnson's    Island,    prisoners    tell    of 
hardships   and   sufferings,    100-1. 
Shooting    prisoners,    101. 


K 


Keleher,  John,  78,  85,  89,  119. 
Kerfoot,    James    F.,    44,    98,    119. 
Kerney,    Martin    J.,    my    old    school 
master,    79. 
My  schoolmates,    79. 
Keys,    J.,    119. 
King,    Aaron   J.,    38,    119. 


Lackey,    ,    119. 

Ladies  passing  prison  arrested  and 
detained,  32,  38,  87. 

Lair,   Marion,   66. 

Lake,   Elezer,   66. 

Landstreet,  Rev.  Mr.  (Confederate 
chaplain),  34. 

Lee,    Philip,    102,    108,    118,    119. 

Lee,     Thomas,     gets     his     share     of 

beans,    102,    103. 
Mentioned,    108,    118,    119. 

Letters  all   have   to   go   through  pro 
vost-marshal's    office,    30-1. 
Quid    to    Hitchcock,    123. 
To    National    Intelligencer,    124. 
Gen.    J.    D.    Imboden,    134. 
To    Wirz,    from    his    wife,    144. 
Wirz's   last   to    his   wife   and   chil 
dren,    145. 
Rev.   Father  Boyle,   139,   140. 

Lewis,  Aaron,  79,   119. 

"Lights  out"    (taps),  55. 

\Ve  install  our  own  lighting  plant, 
56. 

Lindsay,       ,       of       Washington, 

leaves  Parole   Camp  to   join   Co. 
K,   Tenth   Louisiana    Regt.,    105. 

List  of  prisoners  in  Room  16,  119, 
121. 

Littlepage,  William  T.,  85,  89,    119. 

Long,    Reuben,    113. 

Louisiana     troops,     15. 

Love,  Henry,  arrested,  imnrisoned, 
property  taken  or  destroyed 
and  no  charge  against  him,  42, 
78,  119. 

Love,    Llewellyn,    119. 

Ludlqw,  Colonel,  U.  S.  Commis 
sioner  of  exchange,  97. 

Luray,   114. 

M 

McNeil,  Gen.  John,  his  brutal  exe 
cution  of  ten  Confederate  pris 
oners,  66. 

McPheeters,    John    Y.,    66. 

MacWooster,    takes    us    to    Criglers- 

ville,     110. 
Gives  us  good  advice,   110. 

Madison    Court  House,    110. 


Manassas    Gap    railroad,    along    the 
old   road   on    foot,    117. 

Marchland,  Judge,   119. 

Marini,  ,  witness  in   Wirz  case, 

137. 

Martin,    ,     119. 

Maryland,  my  native  State,  12. 
First  Maryland  Regiment,  14. 
Marylanders  in  Richmond,  14. 

Mess   room   in   Old    Capitol,    22,    26, 
54. 

Milani's  Gap  in  Blue  Ridge,  111. 

Mills,    J.,    102,    104. 

Mills,   William   M.,    102,   104. 

Minor,   Fairfax,   50,    119. 

Won't    take    chances    where    only 
one  man  is  killed,   63. 

Missouri    State    Militia,    66. 

Mitchell,    Captain,    75,    119. 

Mitchell,    Lieut.    Hugh,    119. 

Model     Farm    Barracks,    98,     108. 

Montgomery,  ,  119. 

Monument    at    Andersonville,     152. 

Moore,    ,    death    of,    31. 

Mosby,   Col.  John  S.,  my  first  meet 
ing   with,    118. 

Mount,   Stephen  R.,   53,   119.. 

Mules  at    Manassas,    69. 

Dr.    Green    and    his    mules,    70. 

Mulford,  Captain  John   E.,  95,  97. 

Mustered    into    Confederate    service, 
105. 


X 


Names  of  prisoners  in  room  16,  119. 

Nelson,    Lieut.    Joseph    IL,    154. 

New  Jersey  Regiment,  Tenth,  .pris 
on  guard  at  Old  Capitol,  35. 

Newport  News,   91. 

New  York  Regiment,  Third,  Co.  K, 
guard  on  truce  boat,  91. 


0 


Oath,     copy    of    iron-clad,     23. 
At    Old    Capitol    prisoners    take    it 
and    say    it    is    not    binding,    62. 
"The   Oath" — parody   on   Hamlet's 

soliloquy,    62. 

O'Brien,   Edward  H.,  82,   119. 
Oeser,  Felix   (see   De  la  Baume). 
Off   for   Dixie,   89. 
Old   Capitol    Prison,    description   and 

history,    20,  _  22,    24-5. 
Escape     of    prisoners,     52. 
My    first    night,    25. 
Old  men,  women  and  children,  80. 
Overcrowded,     39     in     room     16, 

bunks   for   21    only,   68,   69. 
Prisoners     in     close     confinement, 

42. 

Room    No.    10,    86,    87. 
Rooms    14    to    18,    25,   42,    69,    84. 
Room    16,   24,   26,   28,   30. 
Shooting    of    prisoners,    35,    37. 


i6o 


PRISON    LIFE    IX    THE   OLD    CAPITOL 


Old  age  no  exception  or  exemption, 

80. 
Ould,    Robert,    Confederate  agent   of 

exchange,   97. 

Letter    to    Federal    agent,    123. 
To    National   Intelligencer,    124. 
Called  as  a  witness  for  Wirz,  but 
not  allowed  to  testify,   136. 


Parker,    Captain,    38,    42,    56. 
Parole     granted     me     to     visit     sick 

child,    56. 

Frank    Thornton,    68. 
Cantain    Phillips   and   Wood,    59. 
General    order    No.    209,    refusing 

to    recognize,    124. 
Gen.     Early    comments    on    same, 

125. 

Parole    Camp,    location    of,    98. 
A   ration   of   flour   and   quarter   of 

pound    of    bacon    to    each    man, 

102. 

Life  at  Model  Farm  Barracks,  98. 
Overcrowded,  vermin,    105. 
Prisoners       from       Camp       Chase, 

Camp     Douglas     and     Johnson's 

Island    tell    of    their    treatment, 

100. 
Reports       (official)      verify      their 

statements,    101. 
To    Upperville,    108. 
We    get    a    good    feed    of    beans, 

102. 
Passers-by  arrested   and  brought   in, 

26,  27,    32,    33. 

Ladies    and    children    not    exempt, 

27,  32,   38,   76,   87. 
Pentz,    John,    64,    68,    119. 
Perry,   William  McK.,   107,   119. 
Petersburg    in    spring    of    1863,    97, 

98,    100,    103,    104. 

Phillips,  Captain  Thomas,  captured 
off  North  Carolina  coast,  46, 
119. 

Released,    59,    78. 
Sentenced    to    three    months'    im 
prisonment,     goods     confiscated, 
46. 

Phillips,    Captain    Wesley,    75,    119. 
Pope,     Gen.     John,     order     licensing 
his   soldiers  to   plunder  citizens, 
45. 

Porter,   Col.   James,   65. 
Potomac   River,   going  down  on  flag- 

of-truce    boat,    90. 
Powhatan     House,     Richmond,     108, 

109. 
Prison    guard,    Tenth    New    Jersey, 

35. 
At     Camps     Chase     and     Douglas, 

100,    101. 

Brutal    and    inhuman,    100,    101. 
Shooting   of    prisoners,    36-7. 
Threats  to  shoot,   35. 


Prison    life    in    Old    Capitol,    19. 
Daily    routine,    54. 
How   we  passed  the  time,   29,  48, 

50. 

My    first    night    in    prison,    25. 
Rations,     recreations    and    rules — 

(see    Old    Capitol    Prison). 
Prison    yard,    description   of,    54-5. 
Filthy    condition,     55,     85. 
Meeting     place     for     friends     and 

comrades,    29. 

Prisoners     (see    Treatment    of). 
Arrested,       imprisoned       and       no 

charge   against,   42-3,   60,   85. 
Arrested,      robbed      and      confined 

without   trial,   42,    58,    84. 
Conditions    North    and    South,    11. 
Ill-treatment  and  injustice,  42,  58. 
In   close   confinement,   42. 
Locked    up    and    forgotten,     b9. 
March   from   prison  to  boat,   89. 
Off    for    Dixie,    84. 
Union      soldiers,      deserters      and 

other   offenses,   73. 
Private  mess  in  room  16,  26,  28,  30. 
Provost-marshal's  office,   19,   58. 
All    letters    must    go    through    and 

take   chance    of   delivery,    57. 
Arrested    on    information    and    ac 
cuser    unknown,    58. 
Spies    and    detectives,     58. 
Punishment  for  trifling  offenses,  63, 

69,     76. 
Purcell,    Volney,    85,    119. 


Rainbow,     John,     witness     in     Wirz 
case,    137. 

Randolph,    ,    53,    119. 

Ratcliffe,    Charles,    108,    114,    118. 
Rations  at   Old   Capitol,   22-6-7-8,  30. 

At   Camp   Chase,    100. 

At   Camp  Douglas,   104. 

At  Johnson's  Island,    100. 

At    Parole    Camp,    98,    99. 

On   steamer  State   of  Maine,  90-5.. 
Recreations  and  amusements,  26,  29. 

Reilly, ,    119. 

Report    of    committee    of    Confeder 
ate    Congress,    127-130. 

Committee     Sanitary     commission, 
128. 

Gen.  Seymour,  126. 

No.    67,    127. 

No.     209,     refusal     to     recognize 

paroles,    124. 

Rhoades,    Rev.     R.    M.,    66. 
Richardson,     George,     104,     119. 
Richmond    at    outbreak    of    war,    14. 

Gala    days    in,     14. 

Hard    times    in,    16. 

In    1863,    108. 

Mayor    Joseph    Mayo,    40. 

Parole   Camp  to,    108. 

"Who  wants  to  go  to,"  88. 


INDEX 


161 


Rinaldi,    Raphael,    61,    77,    119. 
Ritchie   &   Dunnavar.t,    16,   49,   72. 
Robbing  prisoners,   George   S.   Ayre, 

44-5. 

Redmond    F.    Brawner,    43. 
James  Johnson,  43. 
James    F.    Kerfoot,   44. 
Henry   Love,   42. 
Captain    Thomas    Phillips,   45. 
Provost-marshal,    44. 
Robertson     River,     along    the,     110, 

111. 

Roll-call,  55,  81. 

Room    No.     10,    close    and    ill-venti 
lated,  87. 
Rooms   Nos.    13,    14,   15,    18  and   19, 

25,  42,  69,  84. 

Room    No.    16,    description   of,    24-6. 
Formerly   old   senate  chamber,   24. 
Our  mess,  26-8,  30. 
Prisoners    in,     119-121. 
Prisoners  sent   South,   84. 
Running  the  blockade,  with  my  wife 

and  children,   17. 
Wilmington,   port  most   frequently 

used,    47. 
Russell,  ,  79,   119. 

Russell,   Major   G.    B.,    142. 


Schade,    Louis,    132. 

Sea-gulls,    92. 

Seal,     Mr.,     hotel,     Madison     Court 

House,    110. 

Seymour,    Gen.,    report,    126. 
"Sheepskins,"    outrages    by,    65. 
Shenandoah    River,    along    the,    116. 
Sherman,    Captain,    104. 
Shooting   prisoners,    Gen.    John    Mc 
Neil,   66. 

Harry   Stewart,   36-7. 

Threats   to    shoot,    35,    37. 

Jesse    Wharton,    36. 

Short,    ,    119. 

"Sick   call,"    54,   82. 

Sidner,    Captain    Thomas    A.,    66. 

Signal  stations  on  James  River,  95-6. 

Simmons,    Albert,    85,    88,    119. 

Sinks,  very  offensive,  55. 

"Slim    Jim,"    29. 

Smallpox,    changed    from    room    to 

room,  84. 
Smith,  Hiram,  66. 
Smith,   John   C.,    119. 
Smith,    Lieut.,    104. 
Songs   and   singing,    48-9,    50. 

"All  prisoners  confined  in  Capitol 
jail,"  48. 

Belle    Boyd,    50-1. 

Order    prohibiting,     53. 
Spence,    William    A.,    119. 
Spies   and    detectives,    29,    30. 

Spy   system   and   its   injustice,    58. 
Stant,    J'ames,    78,    119. 
Stewart,     Harry,     killed    by     guard, 
36-7. 


State    of   Maine,    flag-of-truce    boat, 

90. 

Rations,  90. 
Staterooms,    90,    94. 
Stone's   Landing,   on   Potomac,   17. 
Storm,    R.    B.,    119. 
Stormy   traveling   through   mountain 

and  valley,    111-115. 
Stoughton,        Brig.-Gen.,        war-time 

telegrapher  tells  of  his   capture, 

154-5. 

Sunday   in    Old   Capitol,   34,    51. 
Supper   call,    28,    55. 
Sutler,    no    competition    and    no    cut 

rates,    28. 


Tansell,   James,   119. 

Taylor,    George,    119. 

Taylor,    John    W.,    119. 

Taylor,   James,    78,    119. 

Taylor,     Samuel,'    119. 

Thackery,    Lieut.,    78. 

Thornton,    Frank,    68,    79,    119. 

Thornton,  William,   119. 

Treatment    of    prisoners,    at    Ander- 

sonville,    (see   Wirz). 
Camps  Chase  and  Douglas,    100-4. 
Johnson's  Island,   100-1. 
Efforts  of   Confederate  authorities 

to    relieve   suffering,    123. 
In   Old   Capitol,    73. 
Gen.   order   No.   209,   124. 
Quid's   letter  to   Hitchcock,    123. 
Report    of    Confederate    Congress, 

127-130. 

Report   of  Gen.   Seymour,    126. 
Statements     of     Confederate     pris 
oners     as     to     cruel     treatment 
verified   by   official   reports,    101. 
U.    S.    authorities    aware    of    suf 
ferings,    but    did    not    want    ex 
change,     125-6. 

U 

Unfortunate  in  matrimonial  ven 
tures,  60. 

Uniforms,  plain  instead  of  showy, 
15. 

Upperville,  from   Parole  Camp,   118. 


Varner,    Ambrose,    114. 
Vermin,  in  Old  Capitol,   67-8. 

At  Parole  Camp,   105-6. 
Vindication    of    the     South,     129-30. 
Virginia    (Merrimac),    iron-clad,    91. 

Blown   up    off    Craney    Island,    92. 
Visitors  at  Old  Capitol,  30-1. 

My   wife    rudely   treated,    74. 
Vivandieres,  pretty   on   parade,    15. 

W 

Wade,    John    M.,    65-6. 
Ward,    Charles,    119. 
Ward,    Walter    W.,    119. 


162 


PRISON    LIFE    IN    THE    OLD    CAPITOL 


Weiler,    Emanuel,    38,    119. 
Weitbrec,   R.   F.,  telegraph  operator, 

tells  of   capture,    154-5. 
Wessells   and    Seymour,    Gens.,    126. 
Western    prisoners,    at    Old    Capitol, 

64,    75. 

A  brave  young  hero,  65. 
At    Fortress   Monroe,    90. 
At    Johnson's    Island,    100-1. 
At    Parole    Camp    corroborate    ac 
counts    given    at     Old     Capitol, 
100. 

Gen.    John    McNeil's    brutal    mas 
sacre,    65-6. 
Ill-treatment,    sickness    and    great 

mortality    among,    100-105. 
150    brought    from    St.    Louis,    75. 
Outrages  and  bitter  feeling  in  the 

West,    64-7. 

Westmoreland    Court   House,    17. 
Westover  on  the  James,  95. 
Wharton,   Jesse  W.,  killed,   36,   132. 
Whelan,   Rev.   Father,  called  as  wit 
ness,     not     allowed     to     testify, 
136. 

Whiskey,  how  obtained,   53,   80. 
Charlie,    our    friendly    contraband, 

Guards    ready    for    consideration, 

53. 

Defeats   escape    planned,    52-3. 
Chew    Carter    gets    more    than   his 

share,    81. 

He  also  finds  it  in  hospital,  82-3. 
"Who  wants  to  go  to  Dixie,"  80,  88. 
Wiget,  S.  J.,  Rev.  B.  F.,  attended 

Wirz    with    Father    Boyle,    132, 

142-3. 
Williams,     Augustus,     arrested     and 

imprisoned  four  times,  104,  119. 
Familiarly  greeted  by  Wood,  37. 
His  son,  12  years  old,  and  two 

daughters        imprisoned        three 

months,  104. 
Williams,    W.    F.,    119. 
Williamson,  James  J.,  early  life,   11. 
Arrest     and     imprisoned     in     Old 

Capitol,    19. 

At  outbreak  of  war,   12. 
At    Parole    Camp, 
At    provost-marshal's    office,    58. 
Examined    by    Col.   _Buell,    85-6. 
Examined   by   Captain   Parker,   38, 

42. 

Examined  by    Col.    Wood,    72-3. 
Granted   parole   to    see   sick   child, 

56. 

In    railroad   wreck,    14. 
In    Richmond,    15,    40,    108-9. 
Leave   sick  bed   to   go    South,    13. 
Off  for  Dixie,  88. 
Meet    old    schoolmate    in    prison, 

79. 

Regularly  mustered  into  Confeder 
ate  service,  105. 


Wilmington,  N.  C.,  port  most  fre 
quently  used  in  running  the 
blockade,  46-7. 

Winder,  Major  Richard  B.,  letter 
regarding  offer  to  pardon  Wirz, 

Wirz's  farewell,   141. 
Wirz,    Major   Henry,   after   close    of 
nY     arrested     and     imprisoned, 

Brief    sketch    of,    133. 

Charged    with    conspiracy,    but    no 
other    punished,    138. 

Charges   and   specifications,    138 

Lxtracts    from    his    diary,     147-51 

Father    Whelan,    136 

Father  B    F.    Wiget,    S.   J.,    142-3 

C-en.    Imboden,    135. 

Good-bye    to    Winder,    141. 

Hired     witnesses     swear     his     lif<- 
away,     137. 

Last    lett"   to    his    wife    and    chil 
dren,    145-6. 

Letter  from  his  wife,    144 

Letter   of    Gen.    Imboden/ 134 

140      Rev'  Father  B°yle>  139> 

Letter   of    Robert    Ould,    136. 

Letter   of   Major   Winder,    139. 

Letters    in     official     records    show 
efforts  to  relieve  prisoners,   134 

Marim,    a    witness,     136. 

Marquis   De   la   Baume,    137 

Monument   at   Andersonville,    152 

Wight  before  execution,    141. 

Not    responsible    for    sufferings    at 
Andersonville,    125,     130. 

Promoted  to  captaincy  for  bravery 
on  battlefield,    133. 

Promoted   to   rank   of  major,    133. 

Rainbow,   John,   a   witness     137 

Rev.  Father  Boyle,   135,  139-40-1-2. 

Rejects   proposal    to    purchase   par 
don    by    perjury,    139,    140 

Scene    at    the    scaffold,    142-3. 

Schade,    Louis,    132. 

Tried  by  military  commission,  135. 

U.    S.    authorities    refuse    to    give 
up  body  for  burial,    135. 

Witnesses    not    allowed    to    testify 

in   his   behalf,    135-6. 
Wood,    Col.    William    P.,    supt.    Old 
Capitol   Prison,   38. 

Biographical     sketch,     33-4. 

Gospel    according   to   Abe    Lincoln 
and  Jeff.  Davis,  34. 

Gus   Williams,    37. 
Wrecks    of    Congress    and    Cumber 
land,    91-2. 
Wrenn,    Lieut.    Albert,   99,    104-8-13- 

14. 

Wright,    J.    90-4,    119. 
Wynne,   Captain,  escaped  from  Old 
Capitol,   46. 


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